All The Days After
by katsalinas
Summary: After a rather traumatic year, Dom and Letty now face the biggest challenge in their relationship: growing up.
1. Prologue

**All The Days After**

**Disclaimer: **Save for a few new characters, none of them are mine, so please don't sue. Believe me, if I owned Dom, Leon, or just one of those Nissan's, I'd probably spend less time doing fanfic and more time with those babes.

** Author's Notes:** Here it is, the sequel to One Day, One Night, One Afternoon. There aren't much references to it yet, but if you haven't read it, you might want to go ahead and read t first, or else you might get lost in later chapters. That one is a crossover fic, but this one is not, though i've been told that even if it is a crossover, it's pretty decent. So please don't run away and read that first, otherwise you will get confused.

For those who've read waited, thanks. Hope you like this one as much as the first one. We don't have a Jim...but we will have another twist. :) -- Kat **

* * *

1978**

The last place he wanted to be in was a hospital.

It was a Saturday. He could have done so many things during a Saturday. He could have gotten up late. He could have been out to play. He could have been in out with his friends or in the new wading pool his father got him in the backyard.

He could have been to tons of places…instead he was here in the hospital.

And Dom knew all about hospitals.

They were white, bright, and noisy. Everybody was always in a hurry, nurses poked you with needles and the doctor always handed you candy after doing something extremely horrible…right after promising that it wouldn't hurt.

Dom hated hospitals _especially_ that place called the emergency room. He always went there when he got into big trouble.

Like the time he had to have stitches in his arm after falling into the hood of the car his father was fixing. His dad wasn't very happy with that.

Or breaking a leg when he jumped off the roof of a pick-up truck while trying to play stunt-man…his dad wasn't very happy with that either.

But as soon as they passed the words "Emergency" (one of the first words he'd learned to read) he'd breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe they were going someplace better.

He didn't exactly know why they were here, only that Mia was sick, and his mom had to stay home with her while they went to the hospital in her place.

"Here we are" his father smiled, opening the door

He stepped in another brightly lit room and immediately perked up as he saw balloons in the room.

"Balloon!" he smiled, looking up his father

His dad laughed, along with the other people in the room. He looked around and noticed Maria, his mother's friend from down the street, on the bed. Right next to him was Mr. Rodriguez.

He'd always liked Maria; he thought she was nice and pretty. Always happy. Which was strange, since Mr. Rodriguez was so quiet.

He was nice, but he never really said much. Just smiled. In fact, he heard from the neighbors that he never really went out, or even talked much. Although Dom knew that he talked to his father.

But then, _everyone _talked to his father. His dad was the greatest mechanic ever. Everybody brought their cars to him.

Big cars, small cars, some nice new ones and a lot of old ones, it didn't matter, his dad fixed them all, everybody thanked him.

Everybody loved him.

"And I'm going to be just like him" he thought, as he wandered towards the balloon tied by the bed

His father had walked to the far side of the room with Mr. Rodriguez, talking, while Maria looked at him with her tired eyes.

"How are you Dominic?" she asked

"Am fine thank you" he answered shyly, playing with the railings of the bed

"That's good" she asked, reaching for his hand "How's Mia?"

"Noisy" he said grumpily, but couldn't help but grin when he saw her smile

He thought Maria had a nice smile it made her eyes light up. Her beautiful eyes, brown like his mother, always looked at him with tenderness.

He'd remember those eyes.

"She's sick Dominic, that's why she's noisy. Maybe later, when you come home, you'll help mama take care of her? Be a good big brother?"

He just nodded, his chest puffing out when she said the words "big brother". He was a big boy now, he was five. He was going to help take care of mama, and Mia. Work in the garage like his papa.

"Do you know why you're here?" she asked softly

He shook his head then looked up at the balloons in the room.

"Party?" he asked, pointing at the balloon.

The adults in the room just laughed, making him scrunch his forehead. What was happening?

"You could say that" Maria said "You're here to say hi to Letty"

_Letty…_

He cocked his head to one side. "Letty? What is Letty?"

The grown-ups laughed again, making him want to scream in anger. But before he could do that, the door opened, and a nurse came in the door pushing something in.

At that point, Dominic didn't care about the balloons anymore, or the people laughing. Nurses meant trouble…and so did doctors.

His eyes watered as a tall, important looking man stepped in after the nurse.

The doctor.

He looked worriedly up at Maria, who noticed his anxiety and laughed. _Again._

"Don't worry Dom, you're not in trouble" she smiled "The nurse is here to bring Leticia"

"Leticia?" he asked again, confused

By now, his father and Mr. Rodriguez had moved close to the plastic bin that the nurse had pushed on the other side of the bed, where all the adults now were.

"Letty" Maria answered him, then reached down to take something

Dom moved in to take a closer look, and nearly fell back down when he saw just what a _Letty _was.

"Baby!" he squealed, one part excited and most parts disappointed

A baby, another baby, in a pink blanket…probably another girl.

"Like Mia" he thought dejectedly

He knew hospitals were no good. He didn't want another baby. They were tiny, smelly, they cried all the time and did _nothing_ but sleep all the time.

They were no fun. And since this one was a girl, it would probably turn out to be another pest like Mia.

His father noticed the look of disgust on his face and laughed.

"I think he's had enough of baby girls, Raul" he said "He's still a little jealous of Mia"

That made him glare at his dad.

He was not jealous of Mia. She just…got all the attention, since she was _new. _And mama liked her because she wore dresses and those frilly things, and she liked it.

But that was fine. He could have papa, he worked in a garage with the other boys. Girls didn't work in garages, and they didn't like cars. At least, no girl in his neighborhood liked cars. Didn't even have a single Matchbox.

_Boring…_

Maybe if Letty liked cars, he'd want to be her friend. _Maybe._

Maria just smiled at him. "Oh stop it, he's just at that age. Here Dominic, you want to hold her?"

He looked up in surprise. "Huh?"

"You want to hold Leticia?" she asked, winking at him

"Hold…her?" he asked, making sure he heard her correctly

They were asking him to hold a baby. A BABY. He'd never held a tiny baby before, they wouldn't even let him hold Mia.

But he was three then, he was five now. He was a big boy, he could hold her. He was stronger now. Besides, she looked tiny. He'd carried heavier things at the garage.

"Yes" he answered solemnly, stepping closer to her and standing on tiptoe to catch a glimpse of the baby

He couldn't see anything at first, but pretty soon, the nurse had lifted the little pink bundle up and was slowly moving her towards him.

His throat dried, but he tried not to show his nervousness as his arms came up to receive the baby.

"Here you go Dominic" the nurse said, kneeling on down and putting her in his arms, supporting his smaller hands with her own

"Say hi to Letty Dominic" his father told him

He looked down at the bundle in his arms.

She didn't look special, she just like any other baby. She was just…smaller and ugly looking. Very wrinkly, with her eyes scrunched and her fists held close to her face.

_Ugh_…

All the adults around him were making cooing noises as he continued to stare at the baby in his arms, sleeping peacefully, which was the only thing babies were good for.

He sighed. "Hello, Leticia…Letty"

He was just about to shove her back in the nurse's arms when Letty did the oddest thing.

Letty's little arm swung up and hit him—right on the jaw.

"Hey!" he cried out, nearly dropping her

Fortunately, the nurse had her. She almost took her back, except that Letty had moved up from his jaw and was now holding on to his nose.

"Those are some mighty strong hands" his father said "For something so small, they sure have a grip"

"Indeed" Mr. Rodriguez said, pride evident in his quiet voice

"Solid hands" his dad said "She'd make a pretty good mechanic"

"She is not going to be a mechanic!" Maria protested from where she was sitting on the bed "She's going to be an artist, maybe a sculptor. Or maybe a doctor, a surgeon"

The two men just snorted. But before anything was said, the doctor moved in crouched down next to Dom.

"Wow, she's good a grip on you" the doctor said, trying to remove Letty's hand. He pulled it back, only to have her come back, bop him on the nose, and latch on again.

"She does have a good grip. Very few babies this young have this strong motor skill." The doctor laughed "I think she likes you Dominic"

He looked up in surprise at the doctor. A baby? A _girl_? Likes him?

Oh well, at least his dad said she would make a good mechanic. That made her somewhat forgivable.

"Here" the doc said, taking hold of the baby and moving him to Dom's arms, moving them so that she'd be able to hold her properly

"Hang on to her tight" the doctor told him

To be honest, he felt a little scare, holding her. She was so tiny, and just a bit heavy in his arms. She was afraid he'd drop her.

But her little fingers squeezed on his small jaw, as if telling her that he was doing fine.

"Hello" he whispered

He watched, mesmerized, as her little eyes slowly opened, looking around, not really focusing, searching for something…

"Leticia"

And her little eyes, which had been tracking around the room, slowly landed on him, focusing on him, on the voice, the sound he was making

"Hello, Letty"

At that moment, his black eyes met with dark brown. And he could swear, with absolute certainty, that she had stared at him, with those pretty tiny eyes, so much like Maria's, only better, brighter.

He felt the doctor arms slide out from underneath his, and the full weight of her settled in his arms, warming his little hands as he stared at her, and she at him.

"Careful Dominic" the doc told him "Don't let go of her"

And he knew, at that point, that he could look at them over and over and never grow tired of it.

"No I won't" he said, looking down at Letty, tightening his arms

_I won't let go…I won't_

**

* * *

Present**

The alarm went off at six o'clock am.

It went on for ten more minutes before Dom's big hand hit the snooze button.

He knew he'd hit it three more times before he'd finally shut the damn thing off. It was annoying, but he needed the extra time in bed.

To think.

Letty had always gotten him up. She was a light sleeper, and she was usually awake before the alarm went off.

But Letty wasn't here now. She hadn't been on his bed for the past few weeks, as it was evidenced by the smooth side of the bed on his right.

Twenty eight day. Twenty eight long days and he still couldn't bring himself to sleep in the middle of the bed. It felt wrong somehow.

The first alarm went off and he absently hit snooze.

He always had trouble sleeping alone. He'd had Letty next to him for so long, that it felt like the bed was too big and his whole right arm was missing whenever she wasn't there.

In Mexico, he'd deliberately given up the big room with the big bed to Vince and opted for the one with the single bed. It still didn't work, but it had helped, even if was just a little.

Those months when he didn't know where she was, how she was, or if she was even alive was one of the hardest in his life, almost comparable to Lompoc…_almost._

His time in Lompoc…

His mind shut down at the thought of Lompoc. This was something he'd down as soon as he got out. To forget about prison, to just…move ahead, to forget the past and just…live in the present.

It was hard doing that…he wasn't even sure, until now, if he'd done that. But his decisions had stopped the nightmares somewhat…his choice to leave it all behind, along with the stress of going back to work, building a team…Letty.

God, she was such a fixture in his life that he couldn't even imagine it without her. He didn't notice it at first, but every memory he searched almost always had her in it.

_In one way or another…_

The second alarm went off, and he almost slammed in his fist on it.

He'd cheated on her so many times. He knew it was wrong, but still…she stayed every time. Like everything else, the more he did it, the bolder he became. But that didn't mean he wasn't afraid.

Each time he slept with a girl, there was always a part of him that wondered if this was the one. If this was the last time, if Letty was going to find him out again but this time leave him.

The fear grew every time, but that didn't stop him.

Because it wasn't Letty that was wrong…and it wasn't about the women…the women were just…an outlet for something else…

She was right…but then, she was almost always right. Letty was so smart, logical. In their relationship, he was that had most of the passion, the intensity, the _heat_.

That's how he was in life. Blind-sided, driven, propelled to achieving his own goals, sometimes to the exclusion of all else…a flaw that could've been fatal if not for Letty.

_Letty…_

The third alarm rang and this time he shut it off.

Today was the first day that she'd moved out of the house.

He couldn't describe it, but this time felt different from when she was missing in Mexico, and the ones she'd recently spent in Jesse's bedroom.

The feeling was one in between, and he was going out of his mind trying to understand it.

To know that she had slept someplace else, in another house. That she was sitting in another kitchen, having breakfast, probably on her own. Take a shower in another bathroom, drive to work coming from a different direction…

He felt like she was so near…yet so far away.

But at least he knew where she was. That she was close, she was safe. And even though she wasn't physically here, or they weren't romantically involved, he knew could always count on her support.

That at least would never change.

Dom took a deep breath, focusing on the lines from his ceiling for a moment, as he thought about the days to come.

No Letty…at least less Letty.

He'd felt her absence in the past few days. He missed her.

But she needed the time away. Fuck he needed the time away. There really were a lot of things they needed to fix…apart, and hopefully, later, together.

So many things to do, to pray for, hope for.

Finally, Dom pushed himself up and swung his feet on the side of the bed, giving one last look at the wrinkle free side.

"One day" he thought, getting up

One more day without Letty, one day closer to his goal…And 364 days more.

Authors Notes: let's just pretend that Letty's a bit of a superbaby, aight? It's not uncommon, but let's just say she hecka beat the odds.


	2. Breakfast: Part 1

**Present**

That first morning seemed deceptively normal.

Alarms went off at six am. The coffee started percolating at 6:10, followed by Mia already starting breakfast.

Brian had come down to help set the table, and Vince and Leon were down about an hour later, showered and grumpy, ready to start the day.

It could have been like any other morning, except that the table was one plate short, and one remained empty.

Everybody had gone down hoping to pretend that everything was okay, but the vacant spot pretty much set the mood for the morning, which was already dismal to begin with.

Mia sat down with her coffee, willing herself to concentrate on her food and forget the silence around her.

They all knew that there would be some changes, that things would be difficult at first. They just didn't expect it to be…like this.

It was…quiet.

She'd forgotten just how much _life_ Letty brought to the table mornings.

Not that Letty liked mornings—it was actually the opposite. It was Mia who was the morning person in the family, but there was something about Letty's morning rants that seemed to put everyone into gear.

How she'd be completely alert and awake even in the early hours, but always complained about it. How they would always tease her into eating something other than cereal, and Dom charming her to calm her down, or Brian roping her into making breakfast, while Leon and Vince woke up just by watching these morning interplays.

While this wasn't the first time Letty had gone MIA on the breakfast table—heaven forbid she had to relive those times in Mexico—this was the first time that she would not be having breakfast at the Toretto household without some crisis preventing her from being there.

And though she knew that Letty was perfectly fine, that she was probably home in her own kitchen eating another bowl of sugary flakes and not bleeding in some ditch somewhere, Mia couldn't help but feel like she was in a parallel universe.

"The house feels so…unnatural without her" she thought helplessly

And just when she thought she couldn't stand the silence, Dom's bedroom banged open, and a few seconds letter they heard him trudging down the stairs.

Everyone seemed to take a deep breath as he stopped by the kitchen.

For a moment, they all looked at each other, wondering what the hell it was that they were going to do, or say. If they were going to pretend that everything was alright, or just…stay this way until they met up at the garage with Letty.

"Dom," Mia said, getting up to fix him a plate "Come have breakfast"

"I…" he started, then looked down and rubbed his head, a sure sign that he was distressed

He just sighed and looked wearily at the table.

"No thanks Mia, I don't…I'm not hungry. I think I'll go ahead."

He was out the door in three seconds, their heads processing what just happened as they heard his car start and head of to the direction of the garage.

Everyone just grumbled and settled back in, and Mia wondered just how long it would be like this. How long she would feel lost in her own home.

The boys left soon after, but Brian stayed to help her clean and maybe cheer her up.

"Hey" he said, hugging her from behind, putting his hands over hers in the sudsy water

"Hey" she answered softly, feeling the warmth of his chest on her back

"It's just the first day. It's supposed to be different, but you'll get used to this."

She sighed. "I don't think I'll ever get used to this. Letty was always sort of like…my little sister."

"Yeah, but even little sisters move out" he told her "I mean, I remember when my sister moved out-"

"No!" she cut in, whirling around to face him "You don't understand, this is different. Letty…she isn't supposed to move out. She's supposed to stay here. This is her home, always has been since…"

Her voice caught as she looked at him. "She can't go, she's…she has to come back. She just, she has to, Brian. She's…"

"Mia" Brian said, gripping her shoulders "she's 24 year old woman, not a fourteen year old girl, she should be able to decide what she wants, which is one of the reasons why she's leaving."

Mia knew he was right, but…fuck it. He was the one that helped Letty decide to move out, and even though she loved him, she couldn't stop herself from feeling somewhat resentful towards him.

After all, what did he know?

He'd only known Letty for two years, while she'd been with Letty since she was born.

Mexico was a special case, but they'd literally never been apart their whole lives. They'd gone through so many changes, but somehow they managed to stick together.

"You don't understand" she cried helplessly "You just…you don't understand."

It pissed her off that everyone thought that Dom was the only one largely affected by this.

It seemed foolish, but all her life…she'd always thought of Letty and her as sisters. Even from when they were kids, she always counted on that, and was somewhat solidified when Letty started dating Dom.

"I feel selfish for wanting to keep her here" she told Brian "A part of me knows that she needs to try things out on her own, to explore. Dom always wanted to be like dad, and I had school, but all she ever had was us and we…we kept her from that. I don't think we knew it but still…This is hard for me. Ever since my dad died, she's the only one whom I could always count on being there."

Brian tightened his hold. "I'm here" he said "I hope you know that you can always count on me too, that I'll never leave. Not unless you want me to."

She looked up at his earnest blue eyes.

She knew from the moment he walked in the store that he was going to play an important role her life. She didn't know when or how, except that whoever this man was, he was going to change it.

And he was doing it again now.

"So" he smiled, trying to brighten up the mood "Do you want me to leave?"

"No" she demurred "Never…except maybe now. We're ten minutes late, though I don't think Dom will notice."

"Really?" he asked, nuzzling her "Then you won't mind if we're late for another 20 minutes-"

Mia laughingly pushed him away and squealed.

"Brian!"

**

* * *

2002**

Brian straightened up from where he was stretching on the beach and looked back up at the house.

"Brian!" Letty was screaming at him "Hey Chumpy!"

He smiled then paused to look around if anyone was out there watching him.

The case had been dropped a month ago, and he didn't think anyone was tailing him, but still. It was good to be careful, especially since Letty had only recently been taken off the heavy medication.

He groaned as his unused muscles stretched out. Going undercover for months made him forgo his work-out routines, and the last few weeks he'd done nothing more than run interference for Jim and help hide Letty.

"This paranoia has got to stop" he told himself as he stepped in the kitchen

A few weeks ago they all would have flipped if Letty so much as stepped out on the porch. Not that she could, considering how smashed she was.

He frowned as he remembered the state that he'd first seen her in.

He'd always been partial to Letty. Among the team, she was the first who readily accepted him into their fold. At first he thought that it was largely due to Dom's trust and his relationship with Mia, but gradually he realized that the two of them just…got along.

The two of them had a lot of things in common, some of which didn't even have anything to do with cars. And maybe it was because he didn't grow up with her, but he saw her a lot differently than the others in the team.

"Morning Chumpy" Letty grumbled behind a bowl of cereals

He looked at the breakfast left to the two of them and frowned.

"I need the truth Letty" he asked seriously, watching her as she looked at him with weary eyes "Have you ever—even once in your life—ever made breakfast for yourself?"

She let out a derisive snort as he plunked himself down on a chair, a smile on his face.

"How you manage to get two grown men to cook for you is beyond me."

"Breakfast ain't exactly my specialty" she muttered, then gave him a belligerent slurp

"I can see that" he grimaced "All you ever eat is cereal"

The sound of the bowl slamming on the table took him by surprise.

"Well, I like cereal Chumpy, anything wrong with that?" she snapped

He was about to say something but immediately closed it when he saw Letty's murderous glare. If looks could kill, he'd be a pile of ashes on a chair by now.

It wasn't anything new. Richard had warned them that the medication might make Letty "a bit moody".

Brian and Jim nearly fell off the chair when he'd said that. "Moody" was an understatement. A pissed off Letty was already nuclear. A doped up and pissed Letty was nothing short of nova.

It had been a long three months, and heaven help him he'd learned how to duck.

But something told him that this behavior wasn't due to the drugs. Or the day, or the weather, or any of the little things that seemed to just piss of her off these days.

This was something else.

This was something old…something hidden, something deep and unexpected.

And right now it was trying to come out via a hit of Tylenol and a mangled box of Frosted Flakes.

"So what if it's the only thing I eat? I like it, it's fast and it's easy to make" she seethed "You all have your pancakes, and your specialty coffee's, and toasts and eggs cooked in your own frigging way, and no one ever asks."

He watched as Letty limped around the kitchen, slamming plates and glasses on the counter, a well contained ball of rage.

"I have a cereal, and you all fucking flip."

"Letty" he swallowed thickly "I didn't-"

It was obviously the wrong move. She sent another look his way that would make most men's balls shrivel.

"Coffee Letty? Why don't you try some toast for once, Letty. You should try those pancakes, Let. Eat Mia's breakfast baby, I think you should" she mimicked

"Every damn day since I was fucking twelve I've always just stayed with cereal but still, every damn day since I was fucking twelve people will always try to shove something different down my fucking throat" she seethed "And I don't fucking get it when I tell them no. And you know what makes it fucking worse?"

She stared at him and he immediately shook his head.

"They always, always fucking ask _why_" she yelledd "Like I can't fucking decide on my own why I fucking want cereal for breakfast"

"Fuck, I don't even _like_ breakfast!" she steamed "All the drama in my fucking life always happens during breakfast and I can't fucking take it!"

Letty threw the kitchen rag in the sink and walked—limped—back into her room and slammed the door.

He already knew that she wouldn't be coming out for the next few hours.

He was just getting his bearing back when he heard the back door slide open and Richard came in.

"Hey bro" he greeted the redhead, who immediately noticed his desolate disposition

"What's up with you?"

"**Letty**"

"Ah" Richard said knowingly, sitting down to start on his breakfast "What set it off this time?"

"Some deep seeded hatred towards breakfast and cereal" he answered, then sighed when Richard looked at him with a blank expression

"I made a comment about her always eating cereal" he grumbled

"And you've known her…how long?" Richard smirked

"Shut up"

"Hey, you're the one whose head keeps getting bitten off" he smacked back

"It never bothered her back at the fort" he complained

"You sure about that?" Richard asked

"It's a tradition thing, with breakfast…" he let the sentence hang, then glared at Richard "Anyway, you're one to talk. You keep making her breakfast that you know she won't eat"

"Ah, yes I prepare it, but I don't exactly maker her to eat it, don't I?" he answered smartly

"Then why the hell do you make it?" he asked

Richard shrugged.

"Just thought that one of these days she might decide on a change"

**

* * *

Present**

The garage was empty when Dom got there.

He'd driven around for an half-hour, not really wanting to go in yet. He wanted to be alone, think for awhile, but not necessarily at home, in the bedroom that he'd once shared with Letty.

_She'll comeback._

It scared him that he didn't have the same confidence in those words. It used to be that he was so _sure_.

Didn't matter what happened. Big fight, little fight, she always came back. Breakfast, clockwork.

"Even when she was out screwing somebody else" he thought darkly

He got to his office and sat down.

He was still angry, but more than anything else, he was hurt.

It was selfish and it was unfair, but he couldn't help but put up a double standard with Letty. Fuck, everybody did, but most especially him.

He remembered when his father died, that she was the one who held them together. He'd been a miserable wreck, and Mia had retreated to herself. She was the one who'd reigned in Vince, who'd been shocked by the accident he'd witnessed at the race, into waking up and helping her watch out for the two of them.

She was the one who talked to her father, and got him to make the preliminary arrangements for his dad's funeral. She was the one who talked to people.

And when he went to jail, she was the one who the answered questions. Who helped watch out for Mia, and made Vince feel like he was needed. Sent him little things, like books and candy bars, even when he told her never to visit. Wrote him, kept him up to date with what was happening, even when he seldom wrote back.

And why would he? There was nothing there, nothing for him to talk about. Except for isolation and prison brawls and the rehabilitation sessions that he was required to do. All of it was worthless.

He was a nineteen year old criminal whose future was over even before it started.

But the letters still came, and even when he didn't see her, he could she was changing by the way she wrote and through some of the stories she would tell.

By the time he got out, he was curious as hell about the girl who'd served as his connection to the outside world for two years.

Except she was no longer the little who he used to pick up and had to take around, whose coat he had to button while she looked up at him with utter dependence.

She was now a remarkable young woman who'd toughened up so she could be his rock. Who still looked up at him with trust and dependence, not because she couldn't take care of herself but because she trusted him with her life.

And he lived for that trust. How she expected everything from him, when everyone was too scared or too wary to expect anything from him.

And later on he drowned in that trust. When he realized that things would never be the same, no matter how hard you try to get them back.

Two years. He was a little under twenty when he went in, but he felt like he was forty when he came out.

There were still some things that happened that he could never talk about. It didn't matter how fast he went or how many races he won, he still couldn't escape it.

So he did everything he could to try and forget, even if it meant hurting the one thing that mattered to him most.

She didn't deserve him. He knew that, and he hated that fact. But he couldn't let her go.

_And why is that. _He thought sadly.

His stomach grumbled and he remembered that he'd skipped breakfast.

He checked his watch. The guys would be here soon, and Mia was probably getting ready for school. It was too late to ask them to bring him something substantial.

He sighed and opened his drawer, intent on looking for a stray candy bar that would hold him until he got his ass to the store to fix something.

He was just about to give up when he opened his junk drawer and what he found made him smile.

Letty's stash of travel sized Frosted Flakes.

He reached down and grabbed two boxes, then set out to look for some milk.

"I wonder what she's doing right now…" he thought

* * *

**Author's Notes: **I'm sorry for the typos in the last chapter...and am apologizing for whatever comes up in this one. Your author is a bit dyslexic and does always miss the words, even after three readings. So if someone is free to beta, then I would very much appreciate it. :)  



	3. Breakfast: Part 2

**1986**

Letty held on to her father's hand as they walked to the house down the street.

It was a hot morning. The summer heat still hadn't gone, and she was sweaty and uncomfortable in her new school uniform.

She didn't really understand why she had to wear it. Her old school didn't have uniforms; they let the kids wear whatever they wanted. Now she had to wear a stupid skirt.

And there were more kids there; her new school had little classes and had no boys…and also no Mia.

She missed seeing Mia. They always stayed together and saw each other after school; waiting for their mom's to pick them up.

"But you're mom _left_" that little voice in her head bit back "And Mia's mom is _dead_"

She gripped her dad's sweaty palm as she tried not to cry.

Big girls didn't cry, and she was a big girl now. The nuns at the school said so. And her mom said so, before…

She just had to be tough.

She fumbled for a bit as she tried to hide a sniffle, making her father stop and turn.

"Leticia?" he asked, looking down at her with questioning eyes

Her father looked worried, and she didn't want him worried. That was one of the house rules: never worry papa.

Everyone said that he had enough problems to deal with, he didn't need anymore.

"I tripped" she answered, trying to keep her little voice from quivering "I'm sorry"

For a moment he just stood there, looking at her, and thought that maybe he was angry.

Of course, she'd never seen him angry. But then she'd never seen him at all before this, he was always just in his study.

But the moment passed and her father suddenly bent down, making her panic. She thought he was going to yell at her.

Instead, he reached out and scooped her in his arms, carrying her for the rest of the way.

It was an unfamiliar feeling, but she found herself burying close to her father's neck, hoping to hide the tears that were forming in her eyes. For some reason she felt safe doing this.

"I'm sorry Leticia" his father murmured

"Its okay papa" she answered bravely, not wanting to let go of this new sensation "We don't have to go to Mia's house. I can make breakfast"

Her father gave a short laugh, making her pull back and look at him.

Her father never really…laughed. He didn't do it often, he just smiled; but when he did, she found that each laugh was different.

It fascinated her.

"I know you can make breakfast, baby" he answered "but that's not why we're going"

"Are you tired of cereals?" she asked "Because I can learn how to make other things. I saw this lady on TV, and she was making pancakes with-"

"I like your cereals just fine" he said, smiling "Best frosted flakes I've ever had."

She was about to answer when he suddenly stopped.

"We're here" he said, releasing her from his arms and putting her down

Letty reluctantly let go of her dad's neck and stared at the white house in front of them.

She hadn't been to Mia's house in a long time, not since not since Mrs. Toretto died and her mother had stopped bringing her there.

That was last year.

A lot of things had happened since then, tons of things. She didn't understand what was happening, but she knew something was wrong.

How she had stopped going to the Toretto house, since her mom had stopped going there and Mia never wanting to staythere, always wanting to be out. Or how Dominic stopped smiling…or how Mr. Toretto got quieter, not sad but just not as happy as before.

But the biggest change in her life was her mother.

_You don't have a mother anymore…_

Letty rubbed at her eyes and reached for her father's hand. She felt him give it a little squeeze, making her look up to see what he was thinking.

She couldn't tell what he was thinking. But he looked tired. He was smiling, but the light didn't seem to reach his eyes.

"Let's go" he said

She just nodded, and stepped into the Toretto's backyard.

**

* * *

Present**

The morning started only slightly better on the other side of town.

Letty woke up disoriented…and late. _Very late_.

The alarm rang at exactly six am, but as usual she was awake before it went off.

Didn't mean she got up though.

That was how she was. She'd wake up at the right time, but always, always had a difficult time getting out of bed.

It was a habit that used to make her late for school.

She'd lie there, staring at her ceiling, just thinking. Wondering what she would do to get through a day of school, what kind of car she wanted and how she was going to get it.

Things like _life_ and what the hell she was going to do for the fucking rest of it.

She'd deliberate, staring at dust motes and making plans, starting with the logic of a twelve year old and later on with the jaded eyes of a twenty year old woman.

And before she knew it, an hour had passed and she was late. It may be a bad habit, but it was one bad habit that she refused to give up.

"Like smoking" she recalled, smiling at her now defunct addiction

"Like Dom" her mind automatically added

The thought of him made him wince and she got up.

Of course she had to think of him. Why wouldn't she? For the past 15 years, he was the first thing that came into her mind when she woke up.

"And the last fucking thing you think about before you go to bed" she thought "How fucking romantic"

_And how true._

No matter where she was, what she did, or what she felt, angry, happy or sad, her thoughts never really strayed from him.

"And maybe that's actually a good thing" that annoying romantic imp in her head spoke up

But that was the thing, wasn't it? The romance?

She was over with the romance. She knew how it was like with Dom; how good it could be. The moment he'd set his eyes on her when she was 16 she was gone.

She couldn't even tell when the hero worship had turned into love. All she knew was that when he decided that he'd wanted her, he'd done everything he could to get her. He'd done little things and big things, romantic things, but she didn't really care for those, just for him. He'd offered her the world just by looking at her, and she had gladly accepted.

And for a while he did give her the world…but that was _their_ world.

The real world wasn't as forgiving.

"Fuck the real world" she cursed

She dragged herself out of bed and was struck by a moment of disorientation.

Instantly, her mind choked and her heart sped up as she looked at her surroundings.

"This isn't my house" she thought, panicking "This isn't my room, that isn't my floor…where the fuck am I!"

And just as quickly, her brain got back her equilibrium.

"I'm in my apartment" the reasonable part of her answered

She gave a sigh of relief as she took a walk towards her kitchen.

_My apartment…_

This was her apartment.

These were her hardwood floors, those were her new furniture; that was her window, with her new view and this was her new neighborhood.

"And this is my new home" she murmured to herself, reality hitting her like a ton of bricks as she sank on her kitchen counter

**

* * *

1986**

"So what is it like in your new school?"

Letty swallowed a piece of her pancake and looked at Mia's eager eyes.

Just a few months ago, Mia was upset that she had to go to a new school.

Up until then, the two of them had always done everything together: played together, shopped together, hung out together, went to school together…

So when the idea of her going to another school came up, Mia bawled and she was too stunned to even protest. Not that she could.

Her father had already enrolled her even before she could throw a fit, and Mia was immediately bussed off to summer camp while Mr. Toretto took Dominic to the races.

That's what Mr. Toretto did now: go to the races.

He was out almost every weekend with his cars. Sometimes he took Mia, but most times Mia stayed at home with her and her mom.

Now that her mom had left, Mia mostly traveled with them and that left her alone.

"Its okay" she answered, not really knowing what to say at that point

The school was okay. The classes were okay. The teachers were okay. And the nuns were kind. She thought they would be mean, but the moment she came in they were very…calming.

But the kids were intimidating. All the girls there seemed to know each other, and they all seemed so sure of themselves.

She'd made some friends, but she didn't go with one group. Not like in her old school, where she went around with Mia.

Her new school was so small that there really wasn't any group, everyone just went along with someone for whatever time and each kid seemed to just…stick to themselves.

Which was fine by her, since Mia was her best friend and that wasn't changing…even if Mia didn't seem to miss her as much as she did last summer.

"Are the kids okay?" Mia was asking her "What's it like not to have any boys in class?"

Dom, who was stuffing his face with his fourth pancake, rolled his eyes.

"Uh…I dunno" she answered honestly "It feels the same"

"Yeah, right" Dom snorted, and Letty felt like smacking him in the head.

She thought he was starting to turn into a real jerk, and all he ever did was eat, hang out with Vince, and act pissed…really pissed.

And that was one of the other things that she had to deal with.

Dom had always been nice to her, looking after her and Mia. Now all he did was just… be mean to her.

"Letty ain't interested in any of your boy crazy stuff Mia" Dom told them "Why do you think they put her in that pansy school? It's to straighten her tomboy a-"

She'd been quiet up until then, but her foot reacted a lot faster than her mouth did.

"Sorry" she automatically said

And she meant it. She really did. Of course, she'd really wanted to kick him. Several times. But she knew he didn't mean it…not really.

After all, she missed her mother too.

**

* * *

Present**

For Letty, it took a total of five minutes for the novelty to burst and the routine to kick in.

Pushing herself off her counter, she went to the cupboards in search of some breakfast…and found none.

"What the fuck…" she muttered, bypassing the rows of Spaghetti O's she'd stocked as "rations" and the usual cupboard staples

A quick look in her other cabinets revealed none of what she was after either, and she knew there was only one reason why she couldn't find it.

"Damn those idiots" she cursed, shoving the last drawer close

She was contemplating on throwing on some shoes when and running to the corner store when she saw the envelope in the middle of the table.

She couldn't help but smile when she read through Mia's handwriting.

"_Letty"_

**

* * *

1986**

Letty stared defiantly back her father, ready to throw a fit.

Her father had taken her out to the backyard when she'd reacted badly to what he had to say.

"It's going to be okay" he was telling her, but somehow she wasn't convinced

And he knew it.

She didn't know him. Her mama made things better…and though she liked seeing him, liked being with him…she still didn't trust him.

"I don't understand" she said harshly, trying to act tough to mask her confusion "Why can't you take me to school?"

"Because I have work" he explained softly

"Then I'll walk" she answered belligerently

She knew she was being difficult, and she really didn't want to be, but all she wanted was for him to tell her why…for _everyone _to tell her why.

When her mother left, she didn't understand why she had to be yanked out of school and away from Mia to a place where everyone seemed to include everyone but her.

Why she couldn't go with Mia to summer camp, and instead had to spend most of the day with a sitter or some aunt, or watching her dad struggle to entertain her when he couldn't even talk to her.

But he tried, and that was enough for her.

Her mother taught her never to ask any questions, to never complain, and she never did.

But after this morning, she felt compelled to ask why her father was now placing her under the Toretto's care when she thought they were doing so well together.

"You can't walk baby, it's too far" he told her

"I'm not a baby, and it's not too far."

The wrinkles in his eyes grew deeper as he sighed, and for a moment she felt guilty.

But she was mad more than she was guilty…but more than that, she was scared.

"You just don't want to drive me" she said hotly "You don't want to take me to school coz you don't like me"

Light flashed in his eyes and for some reason, Letty rejoiced in his reaction.

Her father rarely reacted. Not to her.

"You know that's not true" he answered "And it's just during the morning's baby, for breakfast and the ten minute drive, coz I just…I can't drive you to school baby…I just…I can't"

She could see her father unraveling, and she was almost sorry that she did it.

Her mother panicked when he did that, and it scared her. Scared her mother too. Her mother always explained it by saying that she had said the _wrong thing._

And for the life of her, Letty never did know what exactly _the wrong thing _was, or why her mom seemed to have said a lot of then, though she guessed that this was one of those things now.

"I'll just walk her to the bus stop, Mr. Toretto" a voice boomed behind them

They both looked up to see Dom standing by the backdoor, obviously done with his breakfast and ready to go.

"That's not necessary, Dom" her father told him "Besides, Letty's too young to go to school on her own"

Her hands curled into fists and her foot ground on the pavement. She was about to launch into a tantrum when Dom walked down to where they were talking in the driveway.

"The bus stop isn't really very far, and I've seen tons of other kid's her age take it" Dom explained "Holy Cross is near the middle school, and her stop's on my way anyway. Really, I don't mind."

The two of them looked dumbly at him for a moment.

She didn't know what her father's reason was, but she was surprised with what Dom was doing.

Just a few minutes ago, Mr. Toretto had yelled at him for teasing her and disturbing the morning peace on the breakfast table.

Now he was offering to walk her to the bus station?

"What gives?" she thought

"I think it would help, Raul"

All three of them looked up and saw Mr. Toretto come out, Mia close behind him

"Dom walks to school with Vincent everyday, so she'll have two big boys watching over her" Tony assured him

She watched her father waver for a bit, then finally cave in.

"Alright" his father sighed, then looked back at her "You be careful"

She shrugged on her backpack and looked determinedly up at him.

"Of course" she answered smartly

**

* * *

Present**

"Letty" she read the note aloud "You want this, you gonna have to come get it. We're already missing you for breakfast. Mia. PS. Just in case, there's some bagels and cream cheese in the fridge."

She laughed, looking in the envelope and seeing a Frosted Flakes coupon.

She was tempted, she really was…

But there was a reason why she moved all the way over here. This wasn't temporary (and her fuckin' lease proved that) She had something to prove…to the team, to herself…and even though it was just breakfast, she couldn't give in to the temptation of going home.

Not on her first day.

"Day One" she said to herself, opening the fridge and getting some breakfast

Nobody said it was going to be easy. She knew even before that this was going to be one of the biggest challenges in her life: finding herself.

All her life, she'd let herself be defined by other people. She thought that by being tough, she could get away from that. How fucking wrong she was.

But now…now she knew better. Now she stronger, and was to accept these changes…

"And make some changes" she thought, before biting into one of Mia's bagels, thinking of her family


	4. Letty and Dom

**Present**

Letty parked a few meters from the store and killed the engine.

She was about ten minutes late, not too bad considering she had lounged around in her apartment for half an hour, just…looking around.

She sighed and leaned her head on the steering wheel.

The drive to work went remarkably well.

Her life had been so melodramatic that she thought a part of her would break down in the middle of the drive, probably forcing her to pull over then arrive at the garage like some insufferable teenager.

So it was surprising to just get into her car and…drive. I felt weird, driving towards the garage from a different route. But it was the type of feeling that came with breaking in a routine for the first time, rather than adjusting to something horrible and tragic…

She was just…driving to work.

It was the same feeling that she got when she graduated high school, and found that all she had to do was show up at work.

At first, it felt like endless days of summer. Going to the garage, working on a car, being with Dom and hanging out with Mia and the guys…she didn't have to do homework, or study, or take tests. She didn't have to worry about being in school on time, or putting on her uniform, or wondering what to do just to get through the day without any incidences.

Then one day it hit her.

This was how things were going to be, _for a long time. _She wasn't on a vacation, this was _life._

She had been going to the same school for nine years, seeing the same group of people. School had never really been her thing, and she never really had that many friends, but she knew them and they knew her—had known her since she was a kid. She may not have loved it there, but just being in the same place with the same people brought on a certain kind of stability that she'd come to expect.

The feeling had left her overwhelmed, much like how waking up in an entirely new place had left her overwhelmed.

But just like before, she realized that she was trading in something better for the security of her old routine: _freedom._

**

* * *

1986**

For the fifth time that morning, Dom sighed and almost slowed to a stop, waiting for the sounds of tiny footsteps to catch up with him.

He paused for a moment, panicked when he didn't hear anything.

"Fuck!" his mind screamed

He immediately turned around and nearly had a heart attack when he saw her staring up at him from his rear.

"Jesus! Letty!" he yelled "What the hell are you doing?"

"You told me to stay close" she shrugged

"I know" he growled "but…"

For the past few days, Letty had been kind of…spacey during their walks to school.

Normally, she liked to keep up with him and Vince, trying to show them that she wasn't _a girl _and that she could do anything that they did, and that included monkeying around with cars to shooting their mouths off.

But lately she had been falling behind them on their walks, dawdling behind, sometimes stopping, then suddenly running up to catch up with them when one of them would realize that she wasn't close behind.

At first both he and Vince thought that her bag was too heavy for her, and just to speed her up, they volunteered to carry some of her load.

She'd flat our refused and started walking in front of them.

Yet the following morning, she was back to her slow pace. It was beginning to get on their nerves.

It had gotten so frustrating that this morning Vince had decided to go ahead, leaving him stuck with Letty.

"Where the hell did you learn to sneak up on people like that!" he demanded

"I didn't sneak up on you" she answered "You just weren't paying attention"

He opened his mouth to say something, but gave up and just sighed.

You couldn't really win with Letty. He'd never admit it, but arguing with her was always a lost cause. She never gave up, and she always, always had an answer. She was starting to cuss too, mostly because of them.

He'd stopped watching what he said. He learned that he could either strangle her wiry little neck or let lose a few choice words, but only with the agreement that she would _never _use it around the house or in school.

She'd done well, so far.

"C'mon, well be late, let's just go" he muttered, then paused when he noticed that Letty was again slow in moving

He gave another frustrated sigh, but this time, he didn't walk. He stayed with her.

"Okay, what's wrong" he demanded

She hung her head "Nuthin'"

"**Letty**"

She bit her lip and fidgeted a bit, before looking up at him with these fierce eyes.

The intensity of her gaze surprised him. To see something like that coming from an eight year old made him sad.

Letty always was a tough little kid, but ever since their mother died and her own mother left, something had changed. He never paid that much attention to her before, but now during these morning walks to school he was able to make a better assessment.

"I wanna walk to school" she mumbled

"You wha?"

"I said, I wanna walk to school" she answered, loudly now "All the way to school. On my own. Without you guys."

Dom blinked. Part of him thought he'd heard her wrong but the kid in front of was all business.

"Are you crazy!" he yelled "Your dad don't even want you riding the damn bus"

"Well he don't need to know nothin'" she said, trying her best to be gritty

He almost laughed. Here was an eight year old girl in a plaid skirt, a red pea coat and braids trying to muscle him into letting her walk to school. Someplace in heaven, he knew his mother was roaring with laughter.

"Letty, you know I can't let you do that"

"Why not?" she said "I can do it. We did it once before, remember? When I got left by the bus?"

"Did you forget that you were almost late?"

"Then I'll leave earlier, way earlier" she reasoned

"Uh-huh. So that means me and Vince gotta leave earlier too, which means we gotta wake up earlier…"

"Oh shut up" she whined "We were already late in the first place"

She was looking up at him in her "defensive stance", with her lower lip jutting out and her hand on her hip.

It was amusing…and remarkably annoying at the same time.

He looked down and crossed his arms on his chest.

"**No**"

"But Dom"

"Do you have any idea how dangerous it is for kids your age to walk around the city on your own?"

"I've seen other kids do it"

"They go to Jefferson. That's a five minute walk. Holy Cross is at least 20 minutes."

"I need the exercise" she answered glibly

He rolled his eyes. Time was running out for them. He couldn't afford to be late, and neither could Letty.

"Letty"

"Please Dom?" she was pleading now "C'mon! Make it like your Christmas present or something"

"Christmas isn't for another month" he smirked

"But it's cold already" she reasoned

That made him laugh. He knew that tone, he'd heard it from all the women in his life. It was a tone that meant there was no way in hell the woman was going to take no for an answer. Mia had just started using it, and now Letty was learning too.

He crouched down to her level.

"Okay, here's the deal"

Her smile was so bright it nearly knocked him on his ass, which made him feel a little bit better for caving in…somewhat.

"You can walk all the way to school…but we're going to have to come with you."

"But Dom…" she whined

"No buts. Holy Cross is just a few blocks away from my school, so no excuses. And you're gonna to have to keep up."

"I always do" she said, sticking out her tongue

"Yeah, you always do" he said, ruffling her head and automatically buttoning up her coat

"I wish Mia were with us" she said

"I AM NOT BABYSITTING TWO GIRLS!" he groaned

"Well, I'm not a baby…so you don't need to baby sit me" she argued…then quickly latching onto his hand, smiling as they passed her bus stop, and went all the way to her school

**

* * *

Present**

Dom knew she was there even before he saw her. He'd heard the Silvia even from a block away, his ears having been attuned to their cars.

A large part of him wished he had some sort of sixth sense with her, like a built in tracker that told him if she was close by, if she was okay.

It seemed pretty ironic, considering that he thought that kind of thing was crap.

He'd been with a lot of women, some of which claimed to be in love with him and told him that kind of shit. About feeling him and sensing him…did they sense her too? He'd laughed at all of them. This usually happened after an intense session in bed, and he always thought they'd gotten their emotions crossed with the after effects of a good fuck.

He was polite though. He always said "yes".

Letty never asked…but then, Letty wasn't one to show her affections. Or was she?

Driving around, he thought about that one sentiment over and over. _Who is Letty?_

It didn't take more than a minute for him to realize that he didn't know her…not anymore. Not as well as he should.

The incident with Jim had proven that. Months had passed and yet he was still smarting, still hurting. And what pissed him off was that he didn't think he was allowed to hurt, to feel betrayed. After all, he'd done worse right?

All those women…and for what? He didn't know.

There were reasons there, buried under years of guilt and regret. He didn't think he'd ever find the reason or the strength to ever uncover them, especially now without Letty by his side…

Until he realized that the strength didn't have to come from Letty, or anyone else. That was a cop out.

The strength was going to have to come from _himself, _something which prompted him to ask an even bigger question: _who exactly…was he?_

**

* * *

2004**

Dom watched as the blue Mustang revved its engine and pull out of the driveway.

After three long days, he could feel the exhaustion draining away from him, his energy seemingly connected with the woman who was currently driving away from him with another man.

He slumped on the kitchen chair, running his hand roughly thought his head, feeling the rough sting of his palm on his scalp.

"Relax Dom, she'll be back" Brian told him, sitting down and placing a Corona in front of him

"Are you sure?" he asked, not afraid to let a little fear creep into his voice

Brian didn't show much sympathy and just stared evenly back at him.

"Aren't you?" he asked "Seems like you were, otherwise I wouldn't have stumbled into that little black box in your drawer."

_Oh, fuck…_

"So you did see it" he sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose

"Oh yeah" he smirked "You're lucky I saw it. Who knows what could have happened if Mia saw, it. Or heck, even Letty."

Dom just groaned.

"Fuck man, you practically just left it there, in an _unlocked_ drawer. What the hell were you thinking!"

"I don't think I was" he grumbled "I just…I wasn't planning on getting it."

"Then why did you?" Brian asked "Doesn't seem like an impulsive thing. Coz judging from the size of that rock…"

"She deserves the best" Dom answered, his mind drifting back to earlier days "I know I haven't treated her right, in the past. I wanna make up for that."

"And you think a big ass engagement ring is going to?"

He glared at Brian. "You're not helping."

"Oh. Was that why you called me in here?" he deadpanned

He opened his mouth and closed it. Fuck, he didn't know why he called Brian in here…well, he did. He just wasn't sure on how to say it.

"Jim's a nice guy."

Dom's blood almost froze as Brian continued.

"Letty's not going to leave you for him. If she wanted to, she would have done it a long time ago. She _should_ have done it a long time ago."

Brian leaned on the table, fixing Dom with a steely gaze.

"I know why you asked me here. Letty doesn't suspect a thing, and don't worry, I didn't tell her. And I won't. Not until we get a few things straight."

Dom raised his eyebrows, wondering if he should break Brian's nose or throw his ass out of the door and have him crawl back after he remembered whose house he was in.

"Kinda protective aren't we?"

"You know I am, or else you wouldn't have asked me here" Brian answered evenly "Besides, you would have done the same for Mia."

"Not in his brother's house, I wouldn't" he smacked back

"Doesn't matter whose house we're in, facts don't change and you still have the ring" Brian pointed out

"Jim is a nice guy. He'd do anything for her. Heck, he's already done everything for her. She was a wreck when he found her, twice, from my count."

Brian gave him a hard stare, his voice steady in determined as he continued.

"I lobbied for you, because she believed in you. I could have let her stay with Jim. Instead you're here talking to me, so I'm gonna have to ask you: what do you have to offer her?"

Dom winced, not just from Brian's words, but from a time long ago when someone else asked the exact same question.

And he was about to give the same answer, simply because it was the only one he had.

"My life. Myself. I know it's not enough, but it's the only one I can give her."

He took a deep breath and looked at Brian, almost pleading.

"I need her Brian. I'm sure you know what that's like."

Brian's eyes narrowed, then just sighed. "Fair enough. That's what she wants, anyway."

He sighed with relief. He didn't know exactly why, but Brian's blessing suddenly meant a lot to him.

"Though I have to ask you" Brian said, fixing him again with that steely glare "If you were in my position…what would you say?"

**

* * *

Present**

It was one of those moments…

Everyone looked up to the sound of Letty's lug soled boots scraping on the floor.

Mia had poked her head out of the office, phone tucked underneath her chin and four greasy heads were now looking at her, two from underneath a hideous chartreuse Acura and a purple and pink Honda.

Letty looked around, fidgeting, then raised a hand up.

"Uh, hey?" she said, awkwardly

With that, Leon snorted and got back underneath the Acura. Vince just rolled his eyes.

"Mornin' Let" Brian smiled, heading to the office, where Mia had smiled a good morning and went back to finish the call.

She was about to check the work orders when Dom called out.

"Hey Let, think you can give me a hand here today?" he asked, looking up at her from underneath the Honda

He didn't look very happy.

"Good morning to you" she said, crouching down

"Morning" he answered "You ready to work with me on this Barbie car?"

She guffawed. "Yeah, I'm ready."

"Good, grab a creeper. Ima have to show you something."

She raised her eyebrow at him. She'd heard that before.

He just laughed at her expression. "I swear, I need to show you something."

"Uh-huh."

"Honest" he grinned at her "C'mon, let's get to work."

She shrugged, smiling right back. "Slave driver."

"Letty!"

"Okay, okay!" she said "…slave driver…"


	5. Mary Sue's

**A.N. **At last, this one's long been overdue. But with vacation time then real life crowding me up, it has taken me _a month_ to get this very difficult chapter in. It's probably the hardest chapter that i've ever written, mostly because it was the most challenging.

I have never been a fan of Mary Sue's, mostly because very few people can get them right. So when a friend of mine challanged me into writing one, I thought i'd take her up and do a chapter on her...and damn, if I wasn't ready to crack my head, and my friends too (she doesn't like Sue's either)

So this chappie goes to all the Mary Sue writers out there. Still don't like Sue's, but after writing this, I have to say that I admire their courage to literally put themselves out there. --Kat

PS. I really wanted to get this chappie out, since i've been living with it for a month now. But due to the beginnings of a migraine, i've only gone through it once. Please excuse any typo's or missed words. I promise to fix those as soon as I'm able.

**

* * *

1987**

"This sucks" Letty thought as she crossed the street from her bus stop

Adjusting the straps to her backpack, she watched as a car full of rowdy teenagers sped by, their laughter melting with the roar of the engine.

She stared at the car until it had turn the curb…kept staring even when it had gone.

"Someday I'm gonna get my own car" she told herself as she started on her long way home.

**

* * *

Present**

Dom sighed and craned his head out the window, trying to see what was causing the traffic.

It was mid afternoon and the sun was making sure it baked everyone underneath it.

"And you had to take the fucking Supra" he muttered to himself

Of all the days for his car to get stuck behind _everyone else's _it had to be today, where the last car had to be Brian's, who'd driven to work with the fucking top off.

He sighed, leaning back on the headrest as he inched the car forward on the intersection.

Today had been one of those days where he would have gladly crawled back to bed and _died_.

"Optimism!" Mia had told him when she'd showed up at the garage after class

God, some days he just wanted to strangle his sister.

Though she was right. With his luck, he couldn't really call this a bad day, more like one where nothing seemed to go _right._

The morning had started with everyone being late, including Mia. Which pissed him off, since it meant she didn't have time to cook and everyone had to rely on their good ole selves to make breakfast.

It was the end of the week, and the cupboards were running on empty. By the time he'd gotten down, Mia had left and the boys had consumed all the leftovers. He'd been stuck with a lone piece of bagel and starved on the way to the garage.

And if that wasn't enough, there was some problems with some parts that he'd ordered up at The Racers Edge that only he could clear up, thus the afternoon trip.

He honked his horn impatiently, wiping sweat off his brow and pushing up his sunglasses.

It was turning out to be a shitty day.

And that wasn't the only thing bothering him…

It was now officially four months, and so far nothing had happened between him Letty. Nothing.

Beyond their occasional bouts of flirtation, which had started on the first day, not a single fucking thing had happened, and it was driving him absolutely crazy.

The thought of seeing her everyday, of being near her, yet not being able to hold her, or even touch her, was enough to make him explode.

But what was worse was not being able to _talk_ to her.

Granted, it was an area in their relationship that had been sorely lacking and something that the two of them had agreed to work out.

They'd made some progress by being friends, and now that they were able to exchange some personal banter, he was hoping that they were ready to move on.

Instead, things seemed to have taken a step back…

During the past few days, he noticed that Letty seemed to be…bitchier than usual.

At first, he thought it was PMS. It may be chauvinistic, but any guy fucking knew that even the gentlest girl could grow claws and some fangs on their "time of the month", and Letty was no exception.

But after a week of attitude, he knew it was something more than hormones.

Something had happened the past few days, and she wasn't telling him…fuck, she wasn't telling any of them.

And this made supremely pissed.

"Short fucking fuses all around" he thought, remembering the last two days at the garage, where everyone seemed ready to spontaneously combust

The car in front of him moved, and Dom let out a sigh as he inched towards the head of the intersection.

"Thank God" he breathed, looking up at the red light.

Just a few more minutes and he'd be out of this dreadful heat.

A honk and a giggle sent him looking to his right, where a pretty made up blonde was sitting in her red little Miata, smiling at him.

"Nice car" she called out

"Thanks" he answered back, politely

A year ago and his answer would have been a lot longer, and a lot less polite.

"My name's Katherine by the way, but my real close friends call me Kitty"

"Hi, Kitty." He obliged

She leaned over and gave him that look. The look that had broken him so many times in the past…

He felt like hitting his head on the steering wheel.

Instead the light changed, and he immediately put the car into gear, speeding off without even looking on his rearview mirror.

"At least something went right on this fucking day" he muttered as he drove home

**

* * *

1987**

Letty was nearly to the Toretto's when a hot convertible slowed down next to her

"Letty!" a loud voice called out from the backseat

"Hey Vince" she called out, rolling her eyes when he reached out to tug at the straps of her backpack

"Nice bag" he snickered, looking at the school logo stamped on the red and black book bag

She just glared.

"Hey Letty" Dom called out from the front seat, smiling as the driver—a blond with big hair—leaned over to take a good look at her "This is Justine"

"Hello Justine" she answered, trying not to look at how her chest was rubbing at Dom's shoulder

"Hi Letty" she smiled at her, giving a little wave

"And this here is Monica" Vince said, throwing a hand over the redhead's shoulders

"Hey" Monica called out "Does Holy Cross have to, like, put a brand on everything? I like your socks"

"They're knee socks" she deadpanned

"Uh, yeah" Monica said "But I like knee socks!"

Letty gave her a rather withering stare.

Maybe it was just the women that Dom and Vince kept dating because the kind of women they brought home since they started high school seemed sorely…lacking.

"Or not" she thought, watching as Vince started at Monica's impressive bustline

"Say Letty, you going to the garage?" Dom asked her

"Yeah, why?" she answered dubiously, knowing what was coming next

"Great! Could you tell dad--"

"Hell no!" she immediately yelled "I ain't gonna lie to Tony again!"

The two girl's eyes popped out at her "expressive" language, while Vince sniggered as Dom face was beginning to darken with anger.

"Letty, what did I tell you about the swearing?"

"And what did I tell you about the lying?" she smacked back "I ain't running any more interference for you, Dom!"

There was a snort, and she looked menacingly over the drivers' side.

"Is this what they teach you girls over at Holy Cross?" Justine laughed

She was about to answer when Dom cut in.

"Let's just fucking go" he huffed, probably knowing that she would say something that they would all regret "I'll just swing by later at the garage"

"Okay, baby" Justine just shrugged then looked over at Letty "You need a ride, Letty?"

"No, thank you" she answered caustically, matching Dom's stare "I like walking"

With one last glare, she watched as Justine drove off, with Dom looking at her from the mirror and Vince and Monica laughing at the background.

Letty gave one last look as the car turned the corner before walking ahead.

In truth, Justine seemed nice, but it didn't really matter.

Justine, Monica…Jessica, Angelica…Anna, Marie…whatever their names were. There was a different one seemingly every week, all with cars, all replaced.

And if Dom and Vince weren't going around trading girls, they were racing around with the boys.

She kicked a pebble on the road, the roar of the car and Justine's high pitched giggle ringing in her ears.

Dom didn't walk home with her anymore…neither did Vince. Not since they got into high school.

She kicked another rock, putting everything she had in it.

"I'm so gonna get a car of my own" she vowed, stomping the rest of the way home

**

* * *

Present**

The first thing Dom noticed was the butter yellow Camaro RS parked on right next to Letty and Mia's cars.

It wasn't one of their regulars, and he didn't know anyone in the area who drove that kind of car.

After the incident with Jim, he was wary of seeing cars he didn't know, especially when an irrational pit of worry formed in his stomach just from looking at it.

"Jesus, you own a fucking garage!" his mind was yelling

Still, after locking his car and getting out his purchases, he resisted the temptation to run

His gut instinct told him that this was going to extend his shitty afternoon, so he was surprised to find an attractive Asian girl sitting on one of the stools talking to Mia and Leon.

And the first thought that came into his head was "Did I fuck her?"

It was an embarrassing but accurate reaction.

There were some rare instances in the past that a few of the women he'd "partied with" dropped by the store, completely misunderstanding their brief, one night arrangement.

Sometimes, Letty sent them packing, but most of the time, it was Mia.

And so far, Mia was letting this one stay.

One long look at the girl, and he was convinced why.

Despite the fact that she was dressed in a brown leather mini skirt and black knee high boots, she didn't look like any of the girls in the races.

Her shirt, though tight, wasn't bursting with cleavage. And her hair was drawn in a simple ponytail, revealing a smiling face with almost no make up.

Who the hell was _this_?

As if on cue, the three of them saw him standing there and Mia immediately set on the introductions.

"Oh, there's my brother now" Mia said, waving him over "Hey Dom! Come meet Letty's friend"

"Letty's friend?" he almost groaned, walking over while trying to keep a neutral face

"Yeah, from high school" Mia said, turning to introduce the girl

"Dom, this is Suzie Garcia, Letty's friend from Holy Cross" Mia said "Suzie, my brother Dom"

Dom almost snorted. Letty was friends with someone named _Suzie?_

Suzie extended a slender hand, which seemed six sizes smaller than his

"Hello" she said brightly "I've heard so much about you?"

"Really?" he said, shaking her hand, surprised that she had such a strong grip "All good, I hope"

She gave a soft, rather tinkling laugh, and Dom couldn't understand why, but it seemed remarkably familiar…

"Actually, you've met me before" she said

_Shit, I did fuck her…_

If Suzie saw the panic in his face, she didn't show it. She merely smiled and went on to explain.

"It was way back, when I was about…I dunno, six or so?" she said "My dad used to bring his car here."

"Oh" he said, relieved "but you've known Letty…"

"Since we were in gradeschool" she said "But we didn't really hook up until--"

"Sophomore year in high school" Letty finished, walking in with a couple of drinks

"When the two of us spent a ridiculous amount of time making props for that years' school play" Suzie explained dourly "In lieu of detention"

Letty pretended to choke on her drink "Excuse me?"

"I meant, suspension" Suzie admitted, rather grudgingly "But I never really did anything bad"

"That's what they all say, honey" Leon smirked

That brought out a round of laughs, especially when Suzie stuck her tongue out at Leon in mock annoyance.

Dom was glad to see a genuine smile on Letty's face, the first one for this week.

"She's been so stressed lately…" Dom thought, wishing like hell again that she was home instead of 20 minutes away

He'd gotten used to not living with Letty, but it still fucking bothered him that she was gone.

He missed her.

But what was fucking killing him was this business of not knowing. It frustrated him that he didn't have instant access to what was happening to her life; that information that he'd taken for granted before now had to be given only with Letty's permission.

It used to be that he'd look at her and _he knew._

He used to look into her eyes and all the worries he had in the world would fade away. For those few seconds, he could be certain about one thing in his life, and that was Letty.

Now that feeling was gone, and every damn day she spent away from him reinforced his fear of him never getting it back.

"I'm just gonna go put these things that I bought in the garage" Dom mumbled

It was good that Letty was smiling, and he didn't want her notice to his gruff demeanor.

But instead of making his mistake, Mia took the parts from the counter.

"Nah, I'll take these, I was supposed to do some inventory in the garage anyway" she said, smiling as she waved goodbye to Suzie and winked at Dom

As soon as she was out, Leon looked pointedly at the sunny vehicle and then at Dom.

"Yo Dom, Suzie told me that you used to work on her car before"

His eyebrows furrowed "I did?"

"Yeah, that's her dad's car over there" Leon told him "She's driving that baby now"

Suzie couldn't help but beam at the mention of her car "My dad gave him to me as a graduation present. He's put in a few modifications but I've been so busy with school that I haven't really had much chance to enjoy him."

"Oh yeah" Letty piped up "My dad and I worked on Robbie once, it'd be nice to get reacquainted"

Dom's eyebrows furrowed "Robbie?"

"The car" Letty explained, catching the keys from Suzie and dragging him to the driveway "C'mon, why don't ya take look at it with me"

He didn't have to be told twice before following Letty out to the parked car.

"Robbie?" he repeated, watching as she popped the hood

"What can I say, the girl gives dorky names to her car" she smiled

From inside, Suzie screamed "I heard that!"

"You were meant to!" Letty yelled back, laughing as she watched Leon try to get back Suzie's attention

"So, Suzie huh?" Dom asked "How come I've never heard about her?"

"Well, she ain't really that big of a friend" Letty grunted, looking through the cars engines "I've known her since grade school, but we only kinda talked when we did those shitty ass props for the schools fucking annual play, when we both got suspended"

"You were suspended?" he asked

"Yeah. Got caught with grease underneath my nails one too many times, while Mary Sue over there is chronically late" she smirked "That school's got way too many shit rules, so don't ask"

"So she was your friend…"

"Well, kinda" Letty explained "But we didn't really hang out together, like eat lunch every recess or some shit like that. It's just that while we were workin' together she mentioned Robbie and I remembered him. She and her dad like muscle cars and shit, so we had, at least this one thing in common. Anyway, we talk and shit, but I kinda always did my own thing while Suzie's just the type that's friends with everybody"

"No shit" Dom said, looking over at where Suzie and Leon were having a rather animated discussion "She's even talking to Leon and shit"

"Hey, he ain't just got pistons for brains you know" she told him "The boy can carry a conversation, he just ain't gonna get a date…well, from her at least."

"Why not?" he asked "She seems interested"

"In what he's _saying_" she said "That girl can talk about anything, which is why she gets along with just about anyone. Probably talked her fucking way through law school."

"So she's still studying?"

"Senior year at some Seattle law school, forgot which one. She moved right after high school, but we still email. She only got back here coz her cousin or something is getting married. Ass drove her fucking all the way over here!"

"And you've never mentioned her?" he asked, leaning on the hood

"Like I said, we weren't really that close. But she's cool, so we kept in touch."

Noticing his weary expression, Letty closed the hood and faced him.

"So what exactly is this about?"

"What are you saying?" he asked, even though it was a dumb thing to say

Letty had always known if he was lying, or was trying to get around something. He never could hide anything from her, and he fucking wished he had the same thing…

Or maybe he did, and he just fucking ignored it.

"Don't do that, don't ever fucking do that!" she hissed "You told me no more lying, and that fucking includes this."

His eyes widened at her sudden outburst. "What the fuck, Letty! I just wanted to know why I've never heard of her."

"And what the fuck have I been telling you, she's a friend! Or were you afraid that I was screwing her too!"

His mouth opened, but this time he listened to that little voice in his head that told him that talking was not a very good idea.

"You know what Dom, fuck you. I thought we already made it clear that we were gonna be honest with each other, looks like not much of anything has changed."

"Let…"

"All you had to do was fucking tell me" she said heatedly, stepping back and moving towards the direction of the garage "I'm gonna go to the garage. To talk to Vince. So I can tell him to move his fucking car out of the way coz I am heading back home. Try and sleep the rest of this shitty day away. That enough information for you, Torretto? Or you wanna follow me home to make sure?"

He watched, confused and slightly dazed.

"What the hell just happened!" Leon was yelled from the store

"I dunno" he answered, amazed at what just happened.

Of course, he'd seen Letty mad, but this was truly an unusual outburst. He knew he'd pissed her off, but the reaction he got was way too much. She wasn't just mad, she was mad on a fucking nuclear capacity.

He had just decided to follow her in, hoping to ask her what was wrong and using her little "honesty speech" as a conversation opener when Mia came rushing out.

"Dom" she sighed "What the fuck have you done to provoke her?"

"Nothing!" he yelled, throwing up his hands "I was just asking why she never told me about Suzie, and she just fucking blew up!"

Mia rolled her eyes and dragged him over to the side of the store.

"Yeah, well, she's tearing up the stock room. Thank god all the shit we keep in there's made of metal."

"It was just a fucking question!" he growled

"And what a stupid fucking question it was" she smacked back "What the hell were you thinking Dom, are you gonna be like that to all of her friends?"

"Forgive me for being a little bit paranoid, but four months ago I just learned that the woman I loved was screwing another guy"

"Dear God" Mia sighed again, rubbing the bridge of her nose

"And I didn't fucking have a clue Mia! I didn't--"

"Oh shut up Dom, we all didn't have a clue. And quite frankly, even I was a bit disappointed with myself for missing it. But you don't see us dragging it out in the open every time someone asks for Letty" she answered, pinning him with a stare

"She has friends Dom, like it or not she does know people who don't know you"

The look of hurt on Dom's face softened curbed Mia's anger, and she placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You know what I mean Dom, it's just…she's got other interests besides racing Dom, and she's got friends outside of racing too"

"Then she should have just told me about her."

"Well, you aren't exactly receptive to talking that time in any of our lives…"

She watched Dom's face changed, his walls immediately coming up. It hurt her to see her brother like this, but she knew that someday he would have to talk about his time in prison, and it seemed like that day was fast coming.

But she also knew that she wouldn't be the one that was going to get to him.

"Look, it's just that with everything goin' on you knew better than to provoke Letty, especially when you know that she's always had an issue with her."

The small bit of information snapped Dom out of his dark reverie and right into the present.

"What?"

"I said you should have been more sensitive, especially since--"

"I heard you" he said "I just don't know what the fuck you're talking about"

The moment he said those words he saw Mia's face pale.

"Dammit, she promised me she would tell you" she hissed, shaking her head

"Tell me what?" he asked worriedly

Fear and anger seemed to mix at the pit of his stomach, making him want to retch and hit something at the same time.

Whatever it was, it looked as if he was really gonna get to try Letty's little honesty speech.

"Look Dom, it's not really in my place to say, but I really think you should know…"

"Know what?" he asked "C'mon, just fucking tell me!"

"It's the reason why Letty's been upset" she answered hurriedly "A week ago I was going through the mail and there was one addressed to Letty."

The feeling of dread seemed to have increased by a factor of ten as Dom waited for his sister.

"Just promise me you won't flip out when--"

"MIA!"

"It was from Maria" she said, bracing himself for his reaction

There was a long pause as her answer sunk in. At last Dom blinked and looked at her disbelievingly.

"What?" he asked, not know knowing if he'd heard right

"I didn't believe it either, but when I gave it to her she just, she wigged out…" she explained tearfully "It's from her Dom, it's really her…it's from Letty's mother"


	6. Mother

**A.N. 5/18/05** Just revised this because of a glaring date discrepancy.

**

* * *

1989**

It was, no doubt, one of the shittiest days of his life.

Looking around to make sure no one saw him, he walked in with his keys to his father's garage.

The place was deserted. Everyone was at the races…well, everyone except for him.

"Fucking curfew" he cursed, going in

Two nights ago he'd come in at eleven and his father hadn't been very happy. He'd come in, with his backpack still in his hands, cap twisted to the side, baggy clothes pristine, looking like he'd just come in from school.

Of course, he hadn't. It was an hour after his curfew, and his father knew that he'd changed his shirt to hide the smell of cigarette and fast food.

His father was a man of very few words, and after taking a good look at him, had ordered him to bed and told him he'd deal with him in the morning.

It wasn't the first time that he'd broken curfew, and they both knew it wouldn't be the last. He didn't do it often, but he gambled on going to his friend's party tonight on account that his father would be working late at the garage, preparing for this weekends race.

Imagine his surprise when he'd walked in and there was his dad, giving him the eye.

He had been expecting yard work, babysitting duties, and even more grunt work at the garage. So it was a huge blow when his father told him that as punishment, he wouldn't be going to the races that weekend.

"You didn't just skip on your curfew Dom, you broke my trust when you chose to go out when I was gone and left your sister all alone in the house."

He wanted to argue, to tell his father that he was the best pit mechanic he had, and that eleven o'clock was a curfew for wussies, and that none of his friends had to go home early.

But the look on his father's face told him to shut up before it got worse.

And even then it did: his father took Vince to the races, to make it an extra special lesson.

Now here he was, grounded for the rest of the week, while everyone was out having a good time.

Fuck, even Mia ended up going.

So after spending most of the morning sleeping in and doing some of his dad's assigned chores, he'd decided to head off to the garage to spend some quality time with the only thing that could make this day better.

Pulling the tarp off the car, his eyes feasted on the jet back exterior of the Charger.

"Hey, there baby girl" he smiled, running a finger on the side of the car

He and his father had been working on her on and off for close to six months now. They had her running, but not necessarily primed up for competition.

He couldn't wait to make the modifications.

He was about to get in when he heard a noise in the corner washroom. Looking up, he saw that the garage window was open.

"Shit" he muttered, grabbing a tire iron and slowly walking towards the room

Taking a deep breathe, he counted to three before busting open the door of the bathroom, swinging the tool and nearly dropping it when he saw who was in it.

**

* * *

Present**

"Letty?"

Dom tentatively pushed the stock room door and peered in, not really sure of what he was going to see.

He'd waited for an hour before going in. At first, he wanted to get in there as soon as he'd heard the news, but Mia had put a strong arm around him and firmly told him to _back off_.

If Letty had wanted him to know, she would have told him. And after cooling off, he realized that she was right.

Nineteen years. Heck of a long time to finally hear from someone, Letty would tell him when she was ready, and he was willing to wait.

But that didn't mean that he'd let her deal with this on her own. He'd let that happen once, he'd be damned if he was gonna let it happen again.

"Let?" he called out again, stepping in when he didn't hear anything

The sight that greeted him broke his heart.

Letty sitting on the floor, crying, staring at the mess she made and trying in vain to put some parts that she'd broken back together.

The whole place was a mess. It would probably take the better part of two days to put things back and redo the inventory.

But he didn't care about that…what he cared about was the mess in front of him, and the one thing that he couldn't put back together.

"Letty" he swallowed thickly, wanting to say something, anything to make her feel better

Instead, she looked frustratingly up from her repairs and met his worried gaze. She looked so sad, and so broken that pain constricted in his chest.

He didn't know what to do. He wanted to make it all better for her, but he didn't know how to. There was nothing that he could say, and he was deathly afraid to touch her.

And just when his mind was running out of options, she looked into his eyes said something that completely unexpected.

"I'm sorry Dom" she sobbed

That did it for him. Nothing else needed to be said.

He immediately ran to her side and just held her.

**

* * *

1989**

"Jesus, what the fuck happened to you?"

Letty flinched at the sound of his voice and he immediately regretted yelling at her.

Putting the tire iron down, he walked over to where she was standing and sat her up on the counter in one swoop.

She was getting past that stage where he could pick her up, but the sight of all that blood made him panic.

"It's not as bad you think" she gurgled, trying hard to breathe through the blood

"Not as bad as I think!" he hissed, taking hold of her chin

After cleaning most of the blood on her face, he made a closer inspection.

Her nose was swollen, but it wasn't broken. Good. He didn't really want to head off for the hospital that day. A blood vessel had probably popped, and after a good few minutes of pinching her nose, they managed to staunch the blood.

But that still didn't explain why she had a shiner and a bloody nose and a cut lip.

"What the fuck happened?" he asked again

She shrugged her shoulders. "Got into a fight."

"What?" he yelled

"I said I got into a fight" she answered, looking down the floor to her side but her voice sounding as defiant as ever

"What the hell are you doing getting into fights and with whom!"

"Will you quit yelling!" she snapped back "I got into a stupid fight down the playground with that Elario kid from down the street."

Dom's eyes grew wide. He knew the kid, and he looked more like a teenager than a boy of eleven.

"You got into a fight with Carlos?" he asked incredulously "And whose fucking hair-brained idea was that?"

"Carlos, though I don't think there were any brains involved, at least for his part" she muttered "Beat the shit out of him too"

Dom cursed. He knew Letty could pack a wallop, he'd been on the receiving end of it once too. She had a pretty good hook for someone barely over five foot.

He didn't know what the fuck was wrong, but lately all Letty ever did had something to do with _rage._ If she wasn't angry at something, she was pissed off at someone, and most of the time it showed. She acted out, she ranted off, she bitched, she sulked, and it was getting to a point where it was beginning to affect everybody.

This was the first time he learned she'd been in a fight, but he doubted that it was the only time.

"What the hell were you thinking, getting into a fight with a kid almost twice your size!" he said

"Like I said, I don't think a lot of thinking was involved" she ground out "Elario started it, ain't my fault"

"Oh, not your fault" he said dourly "And who's fault is it gonna be when you go home and your papi sees your face?"

She just shrugged. She was looking at the tips of her shoes and wouldn't look at his face, trying to be as difficult as possible.

"What the hell are you doing here anyway? I thought you went to the races with dad?"

"My father's home, I didn't want to leave him" she answered grudgingly "He's in his study."

Dom sighed and rubbed at his face. If Raul was in his "study" on a Saturday afternoon, it was unlikely that he was ever going to come out until Monday morning.

"We didn't have anything at our house" she explained "I thought you were all out and I know Tony keeps a first aid kit here"

Dom gritted his teeth and studied her face again. It was going to be hell explaining what happened—mostly to _his_ father.

Raul was generally a nice guy, but it pissed him off on how much he could get away with in not taking care of Letty. She wasn't like some cat where you just put food out and left her to fend for herself, she was an eleven year old kid who had a lot of things to deal with.

Most recently _this._

"You wanna tell me what the fuck happened with Carlos?" he asked "Or am I gonna have to go over there and ask him while you explain to his folks why you beat up their kid?"

He saw a flash in her eyes as she looked up at him.

"He's not gonna talk, not unless he's gonna admit that a girl whupped his pussy ass up" she smirked

"**Letty**" he cut her off, letting her know that he was not amused by her cockiness

She straightened up, but didn't lose the edge to her gaze.

"Like I said, he started it"

"And what the fuck did he do that you had to beat him up?" he demanded

"He was bustin' on some kid from my school" she answered

"What?" he asked

He didn't really understand. For as long as he could remember, Letty hardly had any friends from school. From grade school and now middle school, she still went to Holy Cross, but had given no indication that she was hanging out with anyone.

If she wasn't at home or in the shop, or out with Mia, she was riding around in her bike doing…nothing.

And nothing—Dom knew—always lead to something if you were bored out of your wits.

"Lemme get this straight" he said "You beat Carlos because of some shit he said about a kid from your school…nice to know you private school girls are starting a gang of your own during the weekends"

She glared at him. "Jenny and I aren't friends, I just know her"

"Not friends, that's great" he said dourly "Now you wanna tell me why you pounded some guy in behalf of Jenny, who is not your friend?"

"Coz Carlos was being a blabby asshole, that's why!" she spat out "Just coz his mom's a secretary for Jenny's dad, doesn't mean he has a right to speak out on what should be their business"

"True" he said "But now that's their business, you got no right to interfere either"

"Jenny's a wuss, she can't stand up to herself" she snorted "But just coz she's a fucking Barbie it doesn't mean he could say that about her"

"Say what?"

Letty fixed him with a steely gaze.

"That Jenny was a fucking brat and that she deserved to be abandoned by her father"

**

* * *

Present**

After wiping some snot and calming her down, Dom had settled in to comfort her, not even knowing if he could.

Letty was a mess, he'd never seen her like this.

The Letty he knew was tough, always ready, never showed weakness and never to be knocked down in a fight.

But he guessed that the past few days of carrying that burden had taken its toll on her, and she was stripped down to the bone with her wits.

She must have been growing crazy, and all he thought was that she was in some sort of hormonal shift.

He tightened his hold on her waist and she gave a little cough. She was sitting on his lap and he had his arms around her, letting her know that he was there when he needed her…even if it was just to wipe her snot on his sleeve.

"You okay?" he murmured against her ear

She just nodded. "Yeah…yeah, I think I am."

Pulling back, she wiped some tears from her eyes and looked at him, face grease stained and ruddy.

And still he couldn't think of anything he saw that was more beautiful.

"I'm sorry for yelling at you earlier" she said

"Nah, it was my fault anyway" he said "I just…I get a bit nervous when I see someone new now, it's like…"

She gave his arm a little squeeze "Yeah, I know. I know. It's pretty difficult. After the heist…I guess you get to be more paranoid. Especially with that scare I gave you with Jim…"

His hold on her tightened, but he didn't say anything. They never talked about Jim, or even about that time. They promised each other they would, but the timing never seemed to be right.

And now wasn't the right time either.

But now was a time to be honest, and that's exactly what Dom thought he should be.

"It's just…" he swallowed, nervous all of a sudden "I kinda always thought you hated school, you know? And that's why you never talked about it."

Her eyebrows furrowed but a lopsided smile formed in her face.

"Really?" she said "Well, that's not true. I mean, I never liked it, just who the fuck likes school anyway, but…you know…I just, I didn't like it, but I didn't hate it either"

She paused, examining one of his large hands while chewing on her upper lip, a sure sign that Letty was about to tell him something she thought he didn't want to know.

"I just…I…" she took a nervous breathe before looking up at his face "I didn't talk about it, because I thought it would hurt you"

He opened his mouth to deny it, but changed his mind and closed it.

It might have been shit, but it was a true observation. He didn't want to talk about those times; fuck, about anything that was even remotely related to those times. He didn't want to be reminded of it, not with anything. Not with clocks, dates, mentions of old TV shows…he didn't want to hear anything that happened while he was gone, for fear of remembering.

_Close your eyes, Dominic. Don't look._

Dom closed his eyes, trying in vain not to look, to blind himself from his memories…but even behind his closed lids he could still see it, could still _hear it…_

A soft touch on the side of his face made him jerk and snap his eyes open.

He was breathing rather harshly, and his heart was hammering on his chest. It was…it was like a waking nightmare in the middle of the day.

And as always, there was Letty to hold him…

He leaned down into her palm and looked at her face, forgetting everything—NO—burying everything that was bad to concentrate on the good that was in front of him.

"It's all right Letty, you don't have to shut off that part of your life, its okay" he said, hoping she wouldn't detect how his hitched on the last word

She didn't look like she believed him, and he was quick to divert.

"It's fine, I just…if you kept in touch with her for such a long time, then she must have been at least a good friend…and I just…I thought I knew all of your friends, that's all…"

He could see the struggle in her eyes, and he almost felt bad for doing this to her. But he had a question, a legitimate question, and if he didn't ask it, it was going to get buried at underneath the billion things that they should have talked about but since they were scared, never did.

"I…"Letty started, not quite knowing what to say "I guess, what I want to say is that they're important to me."

The honesty in her speech surprised the both of them, and with his silence Dom urged her to continue.

"I mean, not just Suzie" she was quick to explain "Suzie was, like I said, the only person I ever really talked to there…but it's just…it's all of them"

She paused, not quite knowing how to explain this. She'd never really said this before, to anyone, mostly because she didn't think anyone would understand.

She thought back, remembering what it was like when she entered that school. The nuns had been kind, no doubt after her father had explained the situation to them.

But the kids…

"When mama left the kids from Jefferson teased me. Mia did what she could, but you know how kids are…they didn't mean it, but it still hurt" she said, annoyed that the memory would bother her until now

"When I went to Holy Cross…nobody teased. Even when they found out. At first, I thought it was because nobody cared. I was the new girl and I just…I hated it there, coz everybody knew everyone else, and I didn't seem to fit in. But later on, I realized that it was more…" she stopped, looking for the words

"It was more like, respect, you know?" she explained "You go to a school with a population of 300 and somehow, everyone's a friend…even those you don't talk to. It was just the way things were…"

Her hands brushed across his knuckles, and he could see the frown deepening the creases on her forehead as she went on.

"When Tony…when your dad died, everything was a mess" she explained raggedly "And when you…when you went to jail, everything just fell apart. Mia…Mia couldn't pull herself together, Vince got drunk, no one was there to run the garage, or the store…and I…I was just a kid, I couldn't do anything"

"That summer, it felt like…it felt like life ended for me you know?" she said, her voice quivering "I mean, Tony…he was my dad too, and when he died…"

Dom blinked away the moisture away from his eyes, remembering that day.

The smell of burning rubber searing into his lungs, smoke getting into his eyes as he tried to make his way to his father, his car a fiery ball of flame in the dark tarmac.

Other than that he couldn't remember anything. Didn't remember the hands that held him down, trying keep him from crawling to his dad. Mia screaming hysterically in the stands, or the doctor that had come to sedate him.

He couldn't remember anything. Only the screams that he heard somewhere beyond his head, like a wounded animal crying out into the woods.

The rest of the day had passed like a blur. Everything had happened so fast, one minute he had a dad, and a second later, he was gone.

And he couldn't remember anything, nothing at all except thinking that he was now an orphan.

There was nothing else beyond the world he had for himself, of the pain he'd felt in losing his dad.

It never once occurred to him that there were other people who felt the loss just as deeply…

And his heart bled and swelled for the woman in his arms, whom he had shared so much, given so much so much, and taken so much, on so many different levels…

"That day they took you into custody was my first day in school. I wanted to skip, but everybody said it was a bad idea. They said that the court proceedings would take too long, and I'd miss too much school, and that I was just a kid, and what the fuck could I do anyway?" she paused, looking at some point in the wall

"I felt so…angry for not being able to see you. But the more they made me stay away…the more I began to realize that it was for the better because…because I loved you Dom" she admitted "I was just a kid, but I loved you…so much…and I knew I wouldn't be able to stand seeing another person I loved go away…"

She wiped some of the tears on her face with the back of her hand, pausing to regain composure.

It was difficult thinking back to those days. Even now, just the thought of it still hurt, and on some days, she didn't even know how she managed to survive those times, beyond dragging herself out of bed everyday.

"When I got to school…everybody knew what happened. And I mean everybody. But they…they didn't say anything. No one. I didn't get cards, I didn't get any worried looks…" she said "I thought 'these fucking bitches, I might as well be dead, coz nobody cares'…but they…they just knew Dom"

"I didn't want to talk to anybody, so they didn't…I just wanted to forget, so they let me…but they never forgot _me_" she explained "I went to school that day, and all my books had been reserved. Some girl, Ashley, already did it for me. Another girl…she gave me my notes…and it was…it was just a whole buncha other things Dom…"

"Those nuns…Those _girls_…I've known them since I was seven years old. They knew everything that's happened to me, and I knew everything that's happened to them. We all watched each other grow up and…" she paused, gulping in a breath "And for awhile, they were…they were family to me."

"Going to school, knowing exactly what was going to be there. The people I was going to face…and that they would just let me be…me…and still be there for me…and I needed that Dom." She said

"I needed to know that some part of my life was gonna be okay, despite all the shit that happened. That even for just a couple of hours, I could be in this place where all I had to do was sit down and make these grades, while knowing that someone was going to be there…"

She swallowed, then took a deep, shuddering breath, feeling completely drained of her admission.

And for a long while they just…sat there, contemplating on the words she just said, feeling tired of the whole days' events but at the same time…

Relieved that all this had happened. Happy that they could move onto the next level.

They had opened a door that they had both been afraid of…but had long since needed to.

"Letty?" Dom mumbled, shifting her weight in his arms, thinking that she'd fallen asleep

But her gravelly reply told him otherwise.

"Yeah?" she answered, pulling back and looking at him

"Next time…next time you need to say something, or need help on something…I want you tell me" he said earnestly "Even if you think it's gonna hurt me."

"Dom--"

"Promise me…" he asked, almost desperately "Promise me you'll do this, alright?"

He could see the confusion in her eyes, and the guilt…He knew that she was wondering if he knew…

But he made sure to keep his expression neutral. He didn't want her to think that she'd been caught in a lie, when she had the right to reserve the information to herself…

"I…" she struggled, willing the words to come out of her mouth…

"My mother wrote me" she blurted out

Despite the fact that he already knew, Dom still felt the initial shock of her saying it herself.

"I know I should have told you sooner but…fuck, I just…I didn't know what to do"

"It's okay" he answered calmly "But you're telling me now, right? That's what matters."

Letty looked up and into Dom's face, wondering who this man was. His eyes held no judgment, only understanding.

"He knows" she realized "Mia probably told him…but he didn't…the old Dom would have confronted me…"

Instead here he was, patiently waiting for her, when deep down he was probably pissed and worried that she didn't tell him.

"_But you're telling me now…"_

She knew what it was like to be kept in the dark. Even when she didn't regret her time with Jim, she still thought she should have told him.

"And here I am demanding honesty from him…" she told herself

To be human. She couldn't understand herself sometimes…

"She sent the letter to the house. I guess after all these years, she still knows how to find me…" she said

"What did it say?" he asked, wiping the stray tears from her face

"She said hi" she answered dourly "You're usual 'hi how are you, hope you're doing well, and can you fill me in with what's going on with you for the past nineteen frigging years!'"

Dom tightened his hold on her as she struggled to calm down.

He knew, he was angry too. Maria was like a second mother to him, and her leaving had hurt him too.

But at the end of it all, she still wasn't his mother. He'd gotten to say goodbye to his mother, and told her everything he wanted he wanted her to know before she died.

Letty had just woken up one day to find her mother gone. And she'd lived the rest of her life asking why she had left her, and wondering whether she was living or dead.

"Did she…did she say anything else?"

"Only that she was sorry" she answered "She said she can't explain it in a letter, but she said…she said she never wanted to go"

"No mother wants to leave their child" Dom softly told her

"But she did" she said bitterly "She may not have wanted to, but she left. And I fucking hate her…so much…"

She paused, swallowing a sob. "But I fucking miss her too"

"Letty--"

"How can I miss her after everything she's done? How can I do that when all I want to do is hurt her"

"She's your mama, Let" he told her "That will never change."

"You know what, she said that too" she said with a resentful smirk "She says she wants to have a chance at explaining herself"

Dom frowned.

Maria had caused so much hurt in Letty's life. They were just getting things back on track…they'd been through so much. He didn't want her to hurt anymore.

"If I could take away your pain" he willed "I would"

But he couldn't.

He couldn't protect her from the harsh realities of life, no more than she wanted to protect him. This was something she had to do on her own, and he had to let her.

"She wants to see me" she said blankly

He just looked at her. "Will you?"

Letty gave a troubled sigh.

"I don't know."


	7. Brother and Sister

**1991**

It was still early when Dom woke up, but not early enough to beat his father out of the house.

Anthony Toretto was usually at the garage at dawn and he knew that pretty soon, he'd be following the same schedule.

Taking his morning mug of java out to the porch, he walked out to sit on the front steps.

He remembered how, as a child, he'd sit there and wait as his father and mother said goodbye in the kitchen. Then he'd watch as his father came out, making his way to him to say his own goodbyes, depositing him back to his mother as he made his way out to work.

Then his mother would tuck him back in on the living room couch, to sleep a few more hours before he get up for school a few hours later.

It was a ritual that lasted quite a few years. Even when he stopped, he still woke up at dawn to listen to his fathers' footsteps, waiting for the day that he could get up and join him for work.

He gave a bittersweet smile as he took a long sip of coffee, remembering the conversation from the night before.

"_Think about what you're doing Dominic, the things you would be giving up"_

"_I wouldn't be giving anything up, dad. I wanna do this. I wanna work at the garage and be a racer just like you. And I don't need some expensive college education to do that. I already learned everything I need to know right here."_

First his father had been angry, and then later resorted to pleading. But no amount of reasoning could change his mind. He'd wanted this, ever since he was a kid. Nothing beat anything than wanting to be like his dad or maybe even better than his dad.

The races he won on the streets already told him he was fast. Heck, even his father told him he had instinct and the skills. All he needed now was the opportunity, and how many of those might slip by while he was sitting in another classroom, studying something that he might never use?

He told his father that much, and though most of their conversation was in the form of an argument, they at least reached a compromise.

That was one thing that Dom was never quite good at. While his dad had the occasional temper, his was a raging bull. He felt things deeply, and expressed things with the same intensity as his emotions.

No middle ground.

His thoughts were interrupted by the screen door opening. Turning around, he wondered who the hell could be up at this time on a summer morning.

"Why the hell are you up so early?" the small voice--already taking on a dusky feminine drawl--asked him

"I could ask you the same thing" he said, looking at the sleepy figure standing by the door

Her hair was sticking up and despite the summer heat she had a shirt and some pajamas on, bare feet peeking out of the long bottoms.

Never a morning person, Letty had on a scowl that could frighten a cobra.

"Coffee?" he teased, offering his mug

"Ugh, no" she said, making a face "You know I hate drinking that stuff. Besides, it stunts your growth"

"I don't think so" he thought as his eyes automatically wandered to her chest

Realizing that he was checking Letty out, he immediately looked away.

Since when the hell did he start checking Letty out?

"So" she said, sitting down next to him "Why aren't you at the garage?"

He sighed "Dad said I should take the summer off…take the time to think things over…"

"Or sleep off that hangover" she teased "that was some party last night"

He smiled "Yeah…yeah it was. Didn't think it would finally be over but yeah…it is"

Letty made a face, looking over at the horizon "And people keep telling me what a big fucking deal it is. If high school's so great, then why the hell are you so glad that it's over?"

"Coz schools done" he said, laughing "No more of that chemistry or calculus bullshit. I'm done studying, now I can just…concentrate on racin'"

She smirked "You sure that's the only thing you gonna concentrate on?"

He looked down at Letty, expecting to see a sly grin. Instead, she had on this wistful expression.

"I've been to one of those races…saw you checkin' out those girls…they don't look like the type that went to your high school"

"Let…"

He sighed, not really knowing what to say. He knew that she'd been feeling a little…left out lately.

Raul had taken a new job that required a lot of out of town trips, and she'd been forced to live with them for long periods of time. And with Mia having started high school and him and Vince doing their own thing…there really wasn't much time to look after Letty.

Not that she needed any looking after. Letty had always been a tough little kid, never wanting anyone to see that she was weak or that she needed anything.

But still…he knew things couldn't be easy for her. Going to that fancy school where she didn't seem to have any friends then straight to the garage to do work…it wasn't the life for a twelve year old kid.

At least it wasn't his life when he was twelve…

"There are plenty more women in college you know"

He almost balked at where the discussion was leading.

"You're kidding right?" he said "Coz you gotta be kidding if you just think I'm giving up on college just coz of some women"

"Then why aren't you going?" Letty asked "Coz you know Tony's right, you gotta get an education."

"I already got an education" he answered "Learned everything I needed to know about cars from dad, and whatever he can't teach me on the tracks I can find out on my own"

Still, she didn't look at all convinced and this worried him somehow.

There was something in the way that Letty looked up to him that unnerved him. At first he thought it was some misdirected hero worship, but lately…lately it felt like something more.

And perhaps it scared him, because he'd come to need that…something more.

In whichever case, Letty didn't seem to notice his discomfort and just shrugged.

"Suit yourself" she said "Your life"

Dom just smirked. "You know, you're not all that far from college either."

"Dom, I'm not even outta junior high" she said dourly

"And this is what? Your last year right?" he asked "Just wait. You hit high school, and everybody will be asking you just what it is that you'll want to do for the fucking rest of your life."

"Yeah, yeah…" she whined, then paused as she let out a yawn

"It's still pretty early, and you were up late last night" he said "You should probably get back to bed"

Letty just shook her head. "Can't."

"Why not?"

She paused, looking at the house down the street.

"Dad called. He's coming home today."

**

* * *

Present**

It was that time again.

When the street was deserted, and it seemed like he was the only one left watching.

9:35am on a hot summer day. It wasn't too far back when a man named Jim had driven in the garage and life, as he knew it, was over again for Dominic Toretto.

And just as things had settled, when he though he and Letty were getting better, something happened again that turned the world upside down.

He heard a silent click as the screen door closed behind him. He didn't bother turning around. The footsteps already told him it was his sister.

"How is she?" he asked, his eyes trained still trained on the house

"Fine" Mia answered "Okay…Brian's with her right now"

"That's good" he said, running his thumbs around the rim of his cup

When they first came back from Mexico, it was obvious to everyone that Letty and Brian's relationship was…different. They'd gotten along well before, but after the heists it was clear that things had changed.

No one dared question it, but they did wonder why. Then Jim happened, and things slowly came into perspective.

In a way, he was glad that Brian was there for her. He wished like hell that he was the one talking to her, but she'd already told him what he needed and right now…he wasn't what she needed right now.

And it hurt him, but he could accept it.

"It's annoying…but he knows her better than any of us right now" Mia said, her voice cracking "And I'm not worried, I'm really not but…she was my best friend first you know…"

"Mia…" he started, putting down his cup to draw her to his side

"I remember when mom died…she used to come to the house to try and get me to go out, because I wouldn't leave the bed. Then on Sundays, for church, she'd drag Maria to our house so she could braid my hair just like hers…"

Mia bit her lip, remembering the days of her childhood, the sweet and even the bittersweet.

"That first mother's day without mom, I cried after we went to visit her grave. I wouldn't stop…and Letty…she was such a clueless little kid then, she said…she said "Well, we still have my mom. And I know she's not your mommy, but in case you need a mommy hug, you can have her too"

They laughed, their eyes watering.

Maria had been their surrogate mother. When their mom died, she made it her business to look after them too.

She invited them into her home for dinners, drove them to school, attended the school meetings…their dad was a great dad, but he still wasn't…their mother. And neither was Maria, but she was the closest to their mom that they could ever get.

They had been best friends, they had done everything together.

So her leaving had hurt them too…but they knew, deep down, that their mom dying had a lot of things to do with Maria leaving.

Somehow, the only thing that kept her together, that tethered her sanity towards her absent husband, was her best friend.

And when she died…

"I don't know what I think about her coming into our lives again" Mia said "I know it's more of Letty's decision, but right now…things are just so fragile right now…with us, and with her…I don't want to see her hurt"

He squeezed her shoulders reassuringly.

"I know…but whatever happens…I we'll always be together" he said with all the hope and confidence he could muster "We're a family…we've always been a family…nothing will change that. We feel each others pains just as hard as we would our own, and no matter what…we don't let go of the ones we love"

His mind flashed to an image of Jesse…and even though it had been nearly two years, losing him still hurt. And the guilt he felt still hadn't diminished.

"We'll get through this" he murmured

Mia just nodded her head, before he turned to look at him, staring right into his eyes.

There was something in the way that she looked at him…how her eyes slowly lit up, and it turned to…something akin to wonder…

"What?" he asked, feeling awkward all of a sudden…

"You really love her don't you" she said

"Jesus Mia, did you have to ask that?" he muttered dourly "What the hell have you been drinking?"

"Coffee" she smacked back "But that's not the point…it's just…"

She smiled, shaking her head a bit.

"All these years Dom, I've watched you stumble home marked by some skank from the races…none of us ever said anything because we knew you loved Letty…but sometimes we asked ourselves how long you two would last" she confessed

He stared at her, a bit offended. Though he knew that none of what she said should even shock him, they were all true.

"She was such an independent girl, and you were king of the streets…you treated her like…like she was a possession, or just…another extension of you. Like how we used to be an extension of you…" she said

"You loved her…but you know that sometimes, love just isn't enough…and obviously she found Jim…but" she let her voice trail off, wondering as she cocked the side of her head

"What changed Dom? Was it Jim, or the heists? Was it Jesse dying?"

"I…" he said…not really knowing where to start

The reasons had been buried for so long, one piled on top of the other, that it was impossible to explain in just one sitting. Not to his sister, or to Vince, or Leon…not even to Letty.

The truth of it all was stuck in a tangled web, one that he needed to fix before he could even begin to explain…to tell them all why he had been…who he was…and why he was like this now…

"You don't have to tell me anything" she said "I just…I felt like I needed to ask"

"And you'll get your answer" he told her "You deserve one Mia, all of you do…And not just for what I did, cheating on Letty…but for everything"

"Everything" she asked, smiling

"Yeah, everything" he told her, grinning back "We're a family Mia, it doesn't do us good to keep that many secrets"

"Good" she answered brightly "Then you can tell me about that ring I found in your pants"

"What!" he sputtered, spewing coffee

"Ew, Dom…"

"I'm gonna kill him" he fumed

"I thought Brian knew something" she smirked "For the record though, he wouldn't tell me, even when I tried to bribe him. I didn't know what exactly it was, but I had an idea…finally found proof of it when I did the laundry early this week"

"It's supposed to be a secret" he grumbled

"And it still is…only you, Brian and now _I _just happen to know about it too" she quipped "Relax, I didn't tell her…but how long have you thought of asking?"

"**Long**" he told her "I got the ring a few months after Mexico…I was thinking of asking her but Jim…"

She just nodded, not needing him to explain.

"That was quite a ring" she said "Though for a minute there I thought you were gonna give her mommy's"

He reached up to scratch his head, thinking back to the day that he'd gotten the ring.

It wasn't even one of the biggest one in the store, but it was damn close. The girl at the counter nearly swooned when he paid for it full—and in cash.

He was so sure. He'd seen the ring and he thought of everything she'd ever done for him, and knew it was no match for every damn thing he'd even thought of doing for her.

"I thought she deserved something new" he told her "Something…something that's just hers, I guess"

His hands were fumbling with the mug, squeezing nervously. He didn't know why, but just the thought of proposing to her made him nervous as hell.

Mia just laughed, putting her hand over his to calm him "Relax, she'll say yes"

"You willing to put some money on it?" he joked

They were laughing now, but deep down he was scared shit.

Nothing about their current relationship even hinted an idea of marriage, much less her jumping up and down at his possible offer of a happily ever after.

Right now they at a stalemate, but that at least gave him a little hope. And it was easier accept having that little hope rather than having no hope at all…because right now he really couldn't be sure…

And Mia knew that, they all knew that.

Mia opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted by the front door opening and closing. They both looked up to see Brian stepping out, looking grim and tired as hell.

A moment passed before Mia stood up, immediately walking towards him.

"So" she asked Brian "Did you talk to her?"

"Yeah" he said, running his hand over his hair, then leaning on the post

"Has she decided on what to do" Mia asked, and Brian just nodded

"And?" Dom growled

He looked down, staring directly at Dom. "Why don't you go ask her"


	8. Visitors

A.N. I know it's been a year, but I thought it was finally time for an update. Hopefully, i've still got the feel of the story. Nevertheless, the story itself is still in my head, and yes, it does have an ending. In fact, we only have about three or four more chapters left.

A few notes...A) An old friend drops by, B) I just cannot stop thinking of the song Passenger Seat by Stephen Speaks, so for those of you the song, forgive the reference..and C) Things are just beginning to heat up people, so if you're still reading this, buckle your seatbelts and hang on for the ride. Major twists coming on, starting about..._now_.

* * *

Letty navigated through the thick crowd of people, looking for a familiar face. Her carry-on was digging on her shoulder, having been loaded with "a few" items that Mia had deemed important when she packed. 

She couldn't believe that just an hour ago, she'd stood in another airport miles away, saying goodbye to the only family she ever knew. The look on their faces, Dom's especially, was one of trepidation. Her wariness to see her mother didn't take away his fear of her never coming back.

Each one had insisted that they stay until she boarded the plane, but she assured them that she'd be back in a week.

It was already a miracle that she'd agreed to stay a week, much less agree to stay at all.

She'd been hell to be around with; ignoring the letter, pretending that she didn't give a shit about her mom. It was for her—until the arrival of the letter—finished business. Considering what the hell her mother had done to her, she could have been dead for all she cared.

…But the problem was that she did. She did care, more than she wanted to admit. And no amount of bitching or hiding could change that. She hung onto the hatred as hard as she could, opening old wounds and reliving memories that she wished she could have forgotten.

But they were always there, waiting to come out. And it took one desperate phone call from a friend to get her out of her destructive funk, reminding her that there were people out there worrying for her, even when she seemed too preoccupied to even think about them.

So now here she was, about to close another chapter in her life…Hopefully.

Spotting a free table, she gratefully sank down and relieved her load. Damn if that Mia could pack.

After ordering for a cup of coffee, she watched the busy airport crowd mill out of the cramped terminal coffee shop.

She could still see their somber faces as they saw her off in front of the entrance. Leon biting hard into his toothpick, trying not to be emotional as Vince rattled off stuff he wanted her to buy simply because he couldn't shut up.

Brian shaking her hand goodluck, his hard grip exacting a promise that she wouldn't do anything even remotely stupid.

Dom had come up next.

Everyone, except for Mia, had walked back to their cars. It made for a shitty moment, but without Mia, she might never be able to go on that plane. If there was anyone else who knew just how important it was for her to go, it was her, and she'd dutifully stood on the side as Dom came up to say his goodbye.

She didn't know what to do at first, but Dom wasted no time in gathering her in his arms and giving her a bone crushing hug.

"Hey, hey" she'd tried to laugh "Another half inch and I won't be able to breath"

He loosened his grip on her somewhat but didn't let go.

"No running away this time, alright?"

Her breathe hitched and she smiled through her tears "I told you I'd be back in a week, maybe even sooner if she turns out to be a bitch"

"No, don't say that" he answered "She…You do what you have to do Let, but at least let her say…what she has to say…okay?"

She nodded, not really knowing what to say. The only conversations that she and Dom had these days usually involved tears or a hecka lotta yelling, though this time there was none of the anger involved.

Just…fear.

"She'll love you Letty" Dom assured her "She already does, she's your mom…She'll always love you"

_But what if she doesn't? After I tell her everything…what if she doesn't…_

Letty tried not to let the doubt show, and instead gave him a brave, if not a bit lopsided, grin.

"I know, I'll try and…sort things out" she said "Though in the meantime, try not to kill any of the boys while I'm gone. And try to take it easy with Brian, remember that he'll be marrying your sister"

Mia let out a snort and got a hold of her elbow, allowing Dom one last squeeze before dragging her out to the departure portal.

"Who knows when you'll be able to leave with him there" she'd grumbled then turned to look her, releasing a deep sigh.

The lines on Mia's face stood out under the harsh white light, and Letty was instantly sorry for putting some of them there. For the past few days, no one had put up with her the most than her oldest friend.

"Well, this is it" she said, trying very hard to paste a smile on her face…

It came out as a grimace.

Mia just laughed. "Promise that you'll call once you get there?"

She rolled. "For the last, frigging time, I--"

She didn't get to finish her sentence as she felt herself enveloped in another hug.

"Forgive me for being paranoid, but the last time we let you out of our sights you didn't come back for six months"

"I'll be back" Letty reassured her "Sooner if you actually let me get on that plane"

The last boarding call for her flight was being announced on the PA, and the two of them reluctantly let go of each other.

With one last look, and one last wave, she'd gotten onto that ramp, all thoughts suddenly focused on the meeting that was about to occur.

She'd thought of nothing else for the last hour, now here it was.

_Mother…_

Staring down the porcelain cup, she wondered for a moment if it was possible to see your future in coffee, before realizing that she had a phone call to make.

Whipping out her cell phone, she punched in a series of numbers that she knew by heart, then waiting as he finally answered on the third ring.

"Hey" he said as soon as he came on

She smiled, gaining comfort from their usual greeting "Hey"

"How was your flight?"

"Not nearly long enough…" she truthfully answered "I was actually hoping that it would last for a couple more hours"

There was a pause from the other end, widening the unsettling pit in her stomach, before at last his voice came up again.

"You okay, Letty?"

She let out a deep shuddering breath, burying her head in hand as she tried to keep herself from breaking.

"I'm scared, Jim"

**

* * *

1992**

The hot summer sun was blazing high as Dom made his way through the streets, not really going anywhere.

This had been the first year that he was out with dad's street team, and on some days he wondered if his dad had been right. Watching from the sidelines, he thought the work done by the pit crew was exciting and fun, kind of like an afternoon spent souping up his car with the radio on.

Nothing had prepared him for the demands of the job; the time away from home, the late nights and early mornings, the countless practice runs that the pit crew had to do. All of it done under the watchful eyes of his father, who turned into his boss the moment they stepped onto the tarmac.

Still, he wouldn't have it any other way.

He smiled as he drove through the familiar houses, reacquainting himself with his neighbors. It had only been a year, but being away so much made it feel more like five.

He remembered how he and Vince used to ride their bikes here and raise hell on the neighbors. They weren't exactly on most parents favored lists, but they'd mellowed down soon enough. He'd gone to high school with most of their kids, and now…well now most of them were in college.

He sighed, remembering how he and his father had argued about his decision to forego college. He'd sat on the fence for a long time before telling his father about his decision, but deep down he knew what he did was the right thing.

He wouldn't have fit in. For one, Vince was here, his family was here. He didn't want to move to some shitty dorm and deal with strangers. Plus, his grades weren't exactly college material. Unlike Mia, he didn't like studying, and only did what he can to get through the class with the least amount of effort.

He sighed, turning on another familiar corner and coming across something—or someone—that he hadn't seen for a very long time.

Grinning, he slowed down the car and lowered the windows right next to a skulking girl wearing the same plaid skirted uniform that he'd come love, only this time her sweater was tied to her waist and was carrying a shit load of books in her hand and inside her bag.

"Need a lift?"

Letty startled, nearly dropping her books before recovering, scowl immediately sinking back into place.

"Dom" she said

"Letty" he answered comically, opening the passenger door "I would have thought that you'd be hecka lot more grateful to see me, considering that we haven't seen each other in months and you've got, like, a ton of knowledge in your hands"

She rolled her eyes, throwing the books to the back seat, where one nearly poked his eyes out. He'd just avoided getting beaned in the head by her bag when she settled in next to him with a loud slump.

"o-kay" he said "Careful in closing the (loud whump) door"

He pulled back onto the road and sneaked a look at Letty, who was sticking her face in front of the air-conditioner.

"You alright?" he asked, trying hard not to notice how wonderful her sweat made her shirt stick to her chest

"Yeah" she sighed, fluffing her shirt to get in some cool air "Just hot is all. Today was the last day of school, and I had to bring home a couple of books to study over the summer"

"Study?" he smirked "Whatcha doin' hitting the books over the summer chica. You just got done with Junior High, you should be celebrating"

"Graduations not 'til next week" she explained "And these are some High School credit bullshit. I'm sure Mia's told you that I'm going back to that pansy ass school next year"

He snorted. He knew Letty didn't much like school, but having been in private school for so long, he doubted if the kid could even last in public school. The teachers weren't very accommodating, and you fucking needed to pay tuition money if you had to deal with shit like her temper.

"So…am I gonna be there when you get your diploma from this pansy ass school?"

He turned his head for a moment to look at her, and was immediately struck by how much…older she'd become. She was still technically a kid, not quite past thirteen, but the beginnings of womanhood was already there…

"When the hell did she grow up?" he asked himself, shaking his head to clear his thoughts

"Sure, Dom" she answered "I'll send you an invite"

Settling down the passenger seat, she smiled at him through the side mirror.

And somehow, Dom was finding it hard to keep his eyes on the road.

* * *

"This isn't like you" Jim's voice 

"I just wanna be home" Letty muttered, closing her eyes and massaging the bridge of her nose "I can't do this?"

There was a snort on the other end.

"Since when did you ever back out of anything?

"C'mon Jim, don't do this" she pleaded

"Don't do what?" he cried out from his end "You're the one who called me"

"Now isn't the time…I just need some support-"

"And you're getting it" he cut in firmly, pausing for a moment before continuing "Two years ago, walked out of my life to give me a second chance…a better chance. I didn't realize what it meant then, but now I know it's because I deserved it. _You_ deserved it. Something better, something…more."

She took a deep breath and leaned her head onto the wall, suddenly feeling very tired.

"But is this the same thing?" she asked "This life…it was fucking over for me, Jimmy. It's done and gone."

"Is it? If it was…then why is all this happening." he answered "Letty, everyone deserves a second chance."

"Do they?" she smacked back "Are you sure? Because from what I know some things can never be forgiven."

"Well, that's for God decide and not you Letty girl"

There was another long pause before a slight buzzing sound came from the other end, then the sound of a young girl's voice in the background, before Jimmy's gravelly voice came up again.

"I gotta go get that"

"Okay" she answered, her voice trembling

"You'll be okay, Letty" he reassured her "She just wants to know you, and we can all pretty much vouch that you're great."

She smiled a bit at that. "Alright"

"Call me after, okay? Let me know how it goes?"

She nodded, only to realize that he couldn't hear her. "Sure."

"Good. Take care, Letty girl"

She heard the faint click of the phone even before she could answer.

Taking a moment to gather her thoughts, she put her cellphone back in her bag before getting up to collect her things.

Hauling the large carry-on, she wondered again why she hadn't stopped Mia from packing her bags. After all, she might not even stay for more than a day.

Heck, considering what she was going to tell her mother, she might not even last until the evening.

* * *

Jim released a heavy sigh before finally putting down the phone. 

He hated being short with her, but she needed the push. Still, he couldn't blame her.

When she'd first told him what happened, she was devastated…and drunk. She didn't make much sense and he thought she was joking. He thought about forgetting about it until later, much later in their relationship, the subject came up again.

And he'd listened to her and talked to her, offering her advice, and whatever support he felt she needed. He was, after all, in a field where regrets were plenty. Where decisions were made on a split second but whose ramifications lasted for the rest of his life.

He'd lived with some of them, and was still living with some of them. He'd managed, he'd survived.

He just didn't think Letty needed to go through that too.

Looking up, he realized that he could no longer hear Eliza's voice yelling for him to come out of the kitchen.

"Eliza?" he called out, only to be met by silence

"Eliza?" he tried again, this time harder. Still no answer.

Panic welled up to his throat as he ran to the front door, one hand palming his gun while he kept calling her name.

"Eliza honey, where are you!"

"I'm right here!" he finally heard.

A wave of relief washed over him as he walked over to the living room, only to find Eliza talking to someone on their front porch.

"I like your car" she was saying "My mommy has an SUV. Jimmy has a small car too, but I like yours better. My favorite color's red, what about you?"

"Eliza" he scolded her before the visitor could answer "What did your mom and I tell you about answering the door?"

Eliza merely rolled her eyes at him. Lately, it seemed that she was doing more and more to assert her independence, which made them nuts.

"Relax, Papi, he's a good guy" she told him "I know"

His eyebrow shot up. "How would you know?"

"My instincts says so" she answered cheekily "Even if he is kinda scary looking."

She turned back to face the door and looked up at the visitor "How'd did you get big anyway"

Jim finally got to where she was standing, opening the door wider so he could take a better look at their guest.

What he saw, or rather who he saw, was rather surprising, but considering the circumstances was not quite unexpected.

"Go to your room, Eliza" he told the young girl

Eliza frowned, looking back up at their guest. "You always make me leave when the exciting things happen…I don't even know your name!"

The tall man chuckled, though in her ears it probably sounded like a roar.

"I'll introduce you later" Jim promised "Now go"

He waited until he heard a door slammed upstairs, followed by a sudden blast of music.

Jim just shook his head, stepping back into the house in order to admit their guest.

"Kids" he told him "Come on in, I hope she didn't bother you that much"

"Nah" the man answered "She's cute. Niece?"

"I'd like to say mine, but it's all still complicated, so I'm just gonna say 'my girlfriends'"

The man just nodded, smiling a bit. His eyes held a nervous fear as he shifted and looked around, and Jim had nothing but sympathy at what he must be feeling.

Best to just start killing that fear.

"So" he started "Can I get you a beer, Dom? Believe it or not, my girlfriend is another Corona girl"


End file.
